Immigration debate stalls on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON—The Senate enters Day Three of its open debate on immigration Wednesday but has yet to vote on a proposal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., requested unanimous consent Tuesday to start voting on legislation, but Democrats plan to use the maximum 30 hours allowed for delaying a bill before a vote. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said McConnell’s request would first call up a bill from Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., on sanctuary cities instead of addressing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. “Let’s get this debate started on the right foot,” Schumer said. Senators on both sides expect to introduce competing proposals before McConnell closes debate on the issue Friday. So far, President Donald Trump has signaled support for only one idea: a piece of GOP legislation based off White House text. The 592-page bill, from Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, would provide a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants and nearly $100 billion of new funding for immigration reform, including $25 billion for border security measures. “I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill,” Trump said Wednesday. Meanwhile, a second federal judge ruled the president cannot end DACA as planned on March 5. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in New York said Trump did not give a legally adequate reason for ending the program. The ruling reinforces a previous court order that the president must allow current DACA recipients to reapply. It does not affect those eligible for the program who never enrolled.