Immigration Measures Fail in Senate

The Senate failed to break its impasse over immigration Thursday after a week of debate, as a flurry of unsuccessful votes left the chamber no closer to resolving the fate of hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants.Both an immigration measure backed by President Donald Trump and a bipartisan proposal opposed by the president came up short in the Senate on Thursday afternoon. Two other amendments also failed. With no consensus on a long-term solution in sight, senators said they might try to attach to a spending bill next month a short-term patch shielding the young immigrants, known as Dreamers.

“The clock’s still ticking,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R., Texas) told reporters. “I’d rather do a permanent bill, but if we can’t do that, maybe we need to do something shorter.”

Lawmakers have been feuding since September, when Mr. Trump ended an Obama-era program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, but gave Congress until March 5 to pass its replacement. DACA protects young immigrants from deportation and allows them to temporarily work legally in the U.S.

Federal judges have blocked the administration from winding down the DACA program for now. The Justice Department is appealing those rulings. The Supreme Court could announce as early as Friday whether it will take up the issue. Some Republicans say these court rulings mean lawmakers have more time to continue negotiations.