Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is setting the tone for House Republicans on immigration.
The House
plans to vote Wednesday on the Republican measure that would undo President Obama's efforts to stop deportations of law-abiding undocumented immigrants. In fact, the measure, attached to a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security—which was only funded through the end of February in the government spending bill passed in the closing days of the last Congress—would not just call for deporting the people Obama's latest action covered. It would also call for deporting the Dreamers, young adults brought to the United States as children. Despite the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Republicans are holding out the possibility of defunding DHS if their deportation demands are not met.
There are serious questions about whether such a bill could get the Democratic votes needed to pass the Senate, but as always, it's unclear if House Republicans would bend:
House Speaker John Boehner said the Republican-dominated House will fully fund the department while blocking funds to carry out Obama's immigration actions, which he says are illegal. [...]
Boehner, however, declined to say whether he would bring a "clean" DHS funding bill to the floor if the newly Republican-controlled Senate fails to pass the House measure or if Obama vetoes it over immigration-related provisions.
In addition to the possible roadblock of the Senate, the president has said he would veto a bill that targeted immigrants. However, we're talking about a House Republican caucus that has
allowed extremists like Rep. Steve King to set its immigration agenda. That means there's a strong chance this will turn into an ugly, drawn-out fight that threatens a DHS funding lapse.
1:22 PM PT: The bill passed, 236-191, with 10 Republicans voting no and two Democrats voting yes.