US House defeats immigration bill and postpones vote on compromise measure; first lady Melania Trump visits child detention facility
Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, went on a damage-control mission for her husband with a visit to a border detention facility for children
The US House of Representatives on Thursday defeated a Republican bill designed to significantly reduce visas for legal immigration and to temporarily protect illegal “Dreamer” youths from deportation, but not offer them a path to permanent legal residency.
The House defeated the measure by a vote of 231-193 as a group of Republicans joined Democrats to sink the plan.
The House had been scheduled to vote on a second immigration bill on Thursday that could appeal to more Republicans, but party leaders postponed consideration of that measure until Friday as they sought to build more support, according to a senior House Republican aide.
The situation underscored continued congressional dysfunction, particularly in overhauling the nation’s immigration system, and the struggle to unite the conservative and more moderate wings of the Republican Party on the issue.
Several Republican aides and lawmakers said Trump undermined prospects for success in the House on Thursday with a morning tweet that cast doubt on whether any Republican immigration legislation could pass the Senate.