Trump on discharge petition: Don’t bother sending me an immigration bill if it doesn’t include a wall and border security

If you’re not following the discharge petition melodrama being orchestrated by centrist Republicans in the House, read this first. They landed another GOP signature yesterday, putting them just four shy of the 218 they’d need to force an immigration vote (assuming every Democrat also signs). Here’s POTUS this morning on Fox warning them not to bother unless they’re prepared to pay up on enforcement.

— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) May 24, 2018

Border hawks will like that but the bickering in the House right now has little to do with enforcement. It’s not border security or the wall that’s a sticking point between moderates and conservatives, it’s a path to citizenship for DREAMers. Centrists like Carlos Curbelo and Jeff Denham want a vote on immigration because they come from purple districts with large Latino populations and are terrified of being washed away in November unless they do something showy soon to stand up for illegals. Their olive branch to the right is to include four different immigration bills in their discharge petition: If they get 218 signatures, the House will vote on an array of legislation ranging from Bob Goodlatte’s bill emphasizing border security to squishier variations that would give DREAMers permanent residency. Whichever bill gets the most votes, wins (assuming more than one gets a majority).

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