Republicans make pitch for immigration bill

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) made their case on Thursday for legislation that would reverse President Obama’s November actions on immigration.

The Senate is expected to vote on taking up the proposal this week, as part of a deal between Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to separate the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill from a fight over immigration.

{mosads}The legislation would undo two new immigration programs launched by Obama late last year, while allowing a 2012 initiative targeting younger immigrants to continue as designed.

The vote could increase pressure on Senate Democrats who previously voiced concerns about the president’s executive actions. Republican leadership has suggested that the vote will give those Democrats a chance to prove they’re serious.

“It’s just unthinkable that senators would block a vote on the Collins amendment at some point in this process this week, because what it does… is basically reinforce what the president said himself 22 different times when he said he didn’t have the authority,” Cornyn said from the Senate floor.

The Texas Republican added that 11 Democratic senators from states that have filed lawsuits over the executive actions “will have an opportunity to vote for the Collins amendment.”

The Republican duo suggested that the bill was not about immigration, but about upholding the Constitution.

“I am for comprehensive immigration reform. I have voted that way. That is not what this is about,” Collins said. “This debate is not about immigration. This is really about the powers of the president versus the powers delineated in our Constitution for Congress and the judicial branch.”