House Repub-licans leaders are considering separate legislation that would address family separations at the border, a GOP lawmaker said on Monday, after struggling over the weekend to find consensus on a broader immigration plan.
The move will give Republicans the ability ahead of the midterm elections to address the issue of children alone at the border, which has sparked public outrage.
Rep Mark Meadows, head of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, said GOP lawmakers held hour-long conference calls over the weekend to try to smooth over last-minute details ahead of a Tuesday evening vote.
One hang-up, he said, was whether young immigrants known as “Dreamers” would be allowed to bring their parents to the US.
When asked if the bill will pass or fail, Meadows told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends”: “I would think fail right now.”
The GOP divisions come at a bad time for the party: Elections are approaching and immigration has riveted public attention for months. Republicans who are
battling to retain House control have hoped to focus this fall’s campaigns on the economy and tax cuts.
Instead, the GOP has had to respond to reports of families being separated at the border as a result of President Donald Trump’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy. The policy appeased many red-state voters. But of concern are Republicans from swing districts with large numbers of moderate voters — the very incumbents who must be re-elected for the GOP to retain House control.