House Votes Down Goodlatte Bill, Delays Consideration of Ryan Amnesty Proposal

By RJ Hauman | June 22, 2018

On Thursday, the House failed to pass Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s (R-VA) Securing America’s Future Act (H.R. 4760) with a vote tally of 193-231. Joined by every single Democrat, forty-one Republicans voted against the measure. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s amnesty proposal, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act (H.R. 6136), saw its vote delayed until next week due to lack of support.

As a reminder, the Goodlatte bill – despite having a limited amnesty component– contains many FAIR-supported reforms that are long overdue. Specifically, the bill would have targeted dangerous sanctuary cities, enhanced border security, mandated E-Verify, eliminated the visa lottery and perhaps most importantly, ended chain migration – which has depressed wages and displaced American workers for generations. The bill also would have extended the protections afforded to current Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients without path to citizenship.

For many in Washington, it was surprising to see Goodlatte receive 193 Republican votes with no support from House leadership, who maintained that the bill had zero chance of passing. Had Speaker Ryan and his lieutenants whipped the bill, truly twisting arms and addressing member concerns, it is likely that the bill could have gotten the requisite 213 votes needed for passage. Instead, Ryan ignored the Goodlatte bill for months, until the leaders of the discharge petition forced his hand and left him no choice but to quickly draft and then fast-track his own mass amnesty proposal.

So where do we go from here? As of now, Ryan’s amnesty bill is still scheduled for a vote next week, but it is likely that some changes will be made in an effort to secure additional votes. Currently, the bill is nothing more than a mass amnesty that repeats mistakes of the past. It audaciously grants amnesty to nearly 2 million illegal aliens, does not include mandatory E-Verify, and keeps chain migration in place – even allowing amnesty recipients to sponsor their lawbreaking parents for a green card. All of these things are unacceptable.

Stay tuned to FAIR. The amnesty fight resumes next week.