The push towards votes on immigration bills in the House of Representatives is increasing the divide in the Republican Party on one of their most contentious issues, fueling fears that a voter backlash could risk them losing control of the House in the midterm elections in November.
Many conservatives view the compromise immigration proposal, released last week by Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, as being no more than amnesty. One tea party group described it as ‘the final betrayal’. On Friday, Lou Dobbs, a close associate of President Donald Trump and the host of Fox Business, posted on Twitter that the bill was Ryan’s attempt to give the largest amnesty in US history to undocumented immigrants and to open the nation’s borders still further.
If passed, the bill risks alienating conservatives and even depressing voter turnout at a time of high enthusiasm among Democrat voters. But, if prevented from becoming law, the bill could upset independent voters, a vital bloc for Republicans in the House of Representatives who are competing in many districts won by Democrat Hillary Clinton during the Presidential election in 2016.
Republican pollster, Frank Lutz, says the Republicans are in a difficult position, with independent voters having a different opinion to hardcore Trump supporters and little middle ground. The draft legislation for the new bill would provide new border security measures, including $25 million for a wall on the border between the US and Mexico, but would also include a pathway to US citizenship for around 1.8 million young undocumented immigrants.