Immigration reform has ALREADY hit a wall: Republicans want security over DACA citizenship

Republicans in the Senate are not expressing optimism about the chances of passing immigration reform in the lame duck session before the next Congress. 

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis and Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema revealed Monday they have come to agreement on a loose framework on bipartisan immigration reform, with tradeoffs for both Democrats and Republicans. 

And while Democrats are eager to pass reform, Republicans brushed off the possibility of moving through immigration reform in the lame duck session before the next Congress in January. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told DailyMail.com he would do 'everything in his power' to stop immigration reform from making it through the Senate. 

'There will not be immigration reform,' said Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn. 

Venezuelan migrants walk along the U.S. Border fence after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico

Border Patrol agents collect trash while detaining a group of immigrants from Mexico and Central America near the U.S.-Mexico border on December 01, 2022 in McAllen, Texas

Other senators considered potentially gettable votes claimed to have not yet read the framework. 'I haven't looked at it yet, no,' said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. 'I've started to look at it, I haven't gotten into the details,' said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. 

Sen. Rob Portman, another potential 'yes' vote told DailyMail.com he hadn't looked at the new framework but 'I support immigration reform, the border is obviously in crisis and needs to be tightened up.' 

The Ohio Republican said that any deal would need to be 'bipartisan' and would need to focus on 'expanding Border Patrol and increasing their pay.' 

The deal, which extends Title 42 by one year, would need to be passed by December 21, the day the Covid-era health restriction that allows for immediate expulsion comes to an end.  

The deal concedes the pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, immigrants brought illegally to the country as children known as Dreamers,  and beefed-up due process rights for some immigrants to make Democrats happy and faster removal and strengthened border security for Republicans.

North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis and Arizona Democrat Kyrsten Sinema have reportedly reached a framework deal on immigration reform they would like to push through in the lame duck session before Republicans take the House in January

Sen. Rob Portman, another potential 'yes' vote told DailyMail.com he hadn't looked at the new framework but 'I support immigration reform, the border is obviously in crisis and needs to be tightened up' 

Asked if he'd be willing to support a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers in exchange for beefed-up enforcement, Portman declined to stake out a position. 'I'd want to look at it altogether,' he said. 

'I think the debt limit will pass, but immigration, that would be a pretty heavy lift,' said Sen. Mitt Romney, predicting Congress would come together to pass a funding bill to raise the debt ceiling before the December 16 deadline that would trigger a government shutdown. 

Republicans in the House have toyed with the idea of refusing to agree to raise the debt ceiling without a bill to enhance border security.  

Per the deal, asylum processing facilities would serve as detention centers and more lawyers would be on hand to defend immigrants. But if migrants fail to establish a 'credible fear' in their initial interview, they would be removed more quickly. 

Meanwhile, Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Michael Bennett, D-Colo., are reportedly negotiating narrower legislation that follows a House-passed bill to provide a pathway to citizenship for some undocumented farmworkers. 

But even Sen. Chuck Schumer would not commit to bringing forth an immigration deal while his party still holds control in the House and Senate. 

'Senators Sinema and Tillis are talking and I welcome people discussing it. It's something you know, obviously we'd very much like to get done. And we hope that those talks come to positive fruition. 

'Why can't Republicans work with us in a bipartisan way to get immigration reform done?' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre asked during her daily press briefing. 'What we've seen from them is political stunts. That's what they do [...] We have come up with solutions.' 

In the House, right-wing Republicans are even less keen to reform U.S. immigration policy, where a backlogged system often leaves those seeking asylum waiting up to five years for their claim to be processed. 

GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has said he will not bring forth immigration reform until he deems the border secure.  

'I cannot support immigration amnesty of any kind,' Rep. Andy Biggs, who is challenging Rep. Kevin McCarthy to his right for speaker, wrote on Twitter. 'The Senate's latest proposal rewards millions of lawbreakers with citizenship and would send a message to the world that now is the time to enter the United States illegally. This would further exacerbate Biden’s border crisis.' 

Still, the Democrat-led House is taking up a number of immigration-related bills this week. 

On Tuesday the lower chamber passed on a 220-208 vote the Veteran Service Recognition Act, which would allow certain deported veterans to regain their green cards and would encourage foreign-born service members to apply for citizenship.  

Later this week the House will be voting on the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act, which would phase out per-country green card caps in favor of employment-based migration. 

The White House came out in support of both bills on Tuesday, but critics say the EAGLE Act is designed to help Big Tech import foreign workers. 

Congressional Black Caucus immigration task force ChairYvette Clark, D-N.Y., came out against the bill because she says the bill would help Chinese and Indian green card applicants at the expense of Africans and Carribeans. 

The end of Title 42 comes as figures show illegal immigration encounters at the southern border reached one of the highest figures ever in October, coming in third to April and May earlier this year. 

Migrant crossings in fiscal year 2022 reached 2.8 million, breaking the previous annual record by more than one million, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).   

The start of fiscal year 2023 came with CBP reporting encounters with 230,678 migrants at the southern border.