This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Congressional Republicans left a Capitol Hill meeting on Thursday no closer to a deal on immigration reform.

In a meeting held in an effort to forge common ground between moderates concerned about protecting the 700,000 undocumented immigrants popularly known as Dreamers and hardliners eager to uphold Donald Trump’s anti-immigration pledges, no compromise was reached. However, lawmakers left the meeting feeling more optimistic about efforts for legislation before the midterm elections.

The meeting was sparked by an effort by a growing group of Republicans to force a vote, via a mechanism known as a discharge petition. This would allow a bill to be brought directly to the floor if 218 members of Congress sign it. So far, a discharge petition on immigration has attracted 215 signatures, including 23 Republicans and all but one congressional Democrat. If successful, the petition would initiate a series of votes on immigration proposals including one that would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

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This has aroused fierce opposition from conservatives, who see such a vote as not only a betrayal of Trump’s agenda but electoral suicide in the midterms.

RJ Hauman, the government relations director for Federation for American Immigration Reform, a Washington thinktank that advocates stricter control over legal and illegal immigration, said the discharge petition was a futile effort that imperiled the Republican party’s chances of keeping its majority control over Congress in November.

“You have a pro-amnesty minority of the majority essentially making the rest of the GOP walk the plank on an issue that is almost certainly not going anywhere,” Hauman said.

He noted that Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, had said he would bring up immigration legislation only if the president will sign it – and Trump has repeatedly said that he will veto any bill that does not fund a wall along the US-Mexico border – an election pledge that is a non-starter for many Democrats.

Immigration showdown: Dreamers' future on the table as Republicans clash Read more

He said the discharge petition could squander Republicans’ leverage in future negotiations, especially if the supreme court upholds Trump’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program, which defers deportation for eligible undocumented youth in the US, known as Dreamers.

“We fully believe that the supreme court will rule in favor of the administration next year, and then the Daca program will start to be officially wound down,” he said. “That’s when the Democrats will come to the table and they will certainly be willing to make some concessions then.”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the House speaker, Paul Ryan, said the goal was “to get things done and avoid a discharge petition”. He warned a discharge petition would not result in any law signed by Trump, but he described “very productive conservations” occurring among House Republicans.

Timeline ​Donald Trump and Dreamers: a timeline of mixed messages​ Show Hide

Upon announcing his presidential bid Donald Trump makes hardline immigration reform central to his campaign and pledges to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca). “I will immediately terminate President Obama’s illegal executive order on immigration,” he says. Weeks after winning the White House, ​​President-elect Trump appears to soften his stance on Dreamers. Despite offering no specific policy he promises to “work something out”. “On a humanitarian basis it’s a very tough situation.” he tells T​​ime magazine. Trump acknowledges the fraught road to a solution, describing Daca as a “very difficult thing for me as I love these kids”. “I have to deal with a lot of politicians,” Trump says. “And I have to convince them that what I’m saying is right.” Trump abruptly announces ​​he will end Daca, phasing out applications for renewal by March 2018. ​​The president insists the decision provides a “window of opportunity for Congress to finally act”. Following talks with Democrats, Trump hints a deal may be close, but suggests it wouldn’t include a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. “We’re not looking at citizenship. We’re not looking at amnesty,” Trump tells reporters. Trump promises to “take the heat” for a bipartisan Daca bill being brokered by senators. But within days he revokes his support, calling the bipartisan plan “a big step backwards”.​ The US government shuts down after negotiations over the budget and a Dreamers solution collapse. On the same day a district judge rules the administration must keep the program open to new applications, a ruling that is later supported by other federal court decisions. With the government reopened with a temporary bill, Trump tells reporters he is now open to a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers “over a period of 10-12 years” if the individual “does a great job, they work hard​”. Trump appears to end the possibility of a bipartisan deal over Daca with a series of furious tweets on Easter Sunday. He blames Democrats and declares: "NO MORE DACA DEAL!" Oliver Laughland

Congressman Carlos Curbelo, a Florida Republican who has been one of the leaders of the discharge petition effort, said on Twitter after the meeting, “I don’t think it could have gone any better. Some questions but a lot of consensus. Our country deserves meaningful action on #immigration now. For too long politicians have used this issue for personal political gain. Enough.”

The intra-party schism over immigration between moderates and hardline immigration hawks has been building for years, said Al Cardenas, a former president of the American Conservative Union, who recalled an effort by George W Bush to pass reform that would have provided legal status and a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country unlawfully.

Obstruction from hardline conservatives has rendered the issue politically perilous, Cardenas said, in that the debate has narrowed to focus on only a small population of sympathetic young immigrants. And even then Congress cannot find common ground.

A Dreamer’s impossible dilemma: where to die? Read more

“The lift seems minimal and the personal consequences so severe that I can’t for the life of me figure out why congressmen and women can shrug their shoulders and think that this is an issue that can wait,” he said.

Cardenas noted some irony in the leadership’s opposition to passing legislation that Trump won’t sign.

“The House passed over 50 healthcare bills knowing that President Obama would veto them but that didn’t stop them from trying,” he said.

And, Cardenas added, lawmakers should know better than to predict how Trump will respond.

“The president has spoken out of both sides of his mouth on the issue,” he said. “It’s possible he could surprise us.”