House to vote on limiting deportations with border bill

House Republicans plan to vote on limiting President Obama’s 2012 executive order on deportations with their $659 million border supplemental package.

The vote on the emergency funding package to address the surge of unaccompanied child migrants crossing the border is slated for Thursday. But House Republican leadership appeared to be struggling late Wednesday with rounding up enough votes.

{mosads}According to congressional aides familiar with the planning, the House would vote separately on two bills. 

One vote would be on the $659 million package that includes changes to a 2008 human trafficking law so that child migrants can be sent back to their home countries faster.

The second vote would be on a separate bill to prevent Obama from expanding the 2012 administration decision to delay deportations of people who immigrated to the U.S. as children before 2007.

A vote on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) bill will be contingent upon passage of the border supplemental. So if the funding package fails to pass, there will be no vote on the DACA.

Another source familiar with the situation said early indications were that the two votes would ultimately be combined into one measure. However, it is less clear now that the two bills will be part of one package sent to the Senate. Consequently, some conservatives are still not satisfied since the Senate could still pass the supplemental appropriations package separately.

Signs began emerging late Wednesday evening that the House border bill was in trouble. The House Rules Committee began its hearing on the bill at 2 p.m., but it recessed for several hours until 10:15 p.m., as leaders modified the plan behind the scenes.

A vote on the DACA might placate some conservatives who oppose the border funding package. But Democrats are unlikely to support the measure. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) has said he would vote for the GOP’s pared-down border package, unless it had “radical” provisions regarding the DACA.

Democrats suggested that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had again complicated the House GOP leadership’s plans.

“Ted Cruz is playing Speaker again,” said a House Democratic aide.