The Senate's 'Common Sense Caucus' releases bipartisan immigration bill before big vote showdown

On Wednesday night, Sen. Susan Collins' (R-Maine) bipartisan "Common Sense Caucus" released its immigration proposal, which offers some of what President Trump has demanded but not everything, adding another option to a looming floor fight in the Senate on Thursday. The Immigration Security and Opportunity Act, with lead sponsors Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Angus King (I-Maine), would offer a 10-year path to citizenship for DREAMers — young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children — plus $25 billion over a decade for border security, and curb family-based immigration. It does not end the visa lottery program, as Trump wants, or deliver the $25 billion immediately.

Trump favors a bill sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and he has informally threatened to veto a bipartisan bill that would just tackle border security and DREAMers. Senators will likely vote on all three proposals, plus a "sanctuary cities" crackdown measure from Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), on Thursday. The Grassley bill, vehemently opposed by Democrats, is not expected to get 60 votes, and Trump's opposition has dangerously imperiled the narrow DREAMer-focused bill sponsored by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.).

A senior White House official told The Washington Post on Wednesday night that the administration is "doing everything in our power" to block the Rounds-Angus bill, which the official called a "giant amnesty." Sen. Linsdey Graham (R-S.C.), a sponsor of that bill, shrugged off the veto threat. "Everything's a negotiation. We're a separate branch," Flake said, and Trump "can veto it, or he can sign it, but we've got to pass it."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up