Well, if
immigration advocates are eager to watch Republicans alienate a generation of Latino voters, their wish is the GOP's command.
Republican lawmakers have laid down two threats on immigration already, one from the Boehner wing of the GOP and one from the right. Lawmakers claim both bills will put a chokehold on Obama's executive actions providing deportation relief for up to five million undocumented immigrants. But as yet, no one has detailed exactly how.
Here's the leadership approach:
No final decisions have been made, and it’s not clear what language the GOP leadership will use. But Rules Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) said Wednesday that House Republicans are poised to use a measure written by Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) that would explicitly bar any funds — even those collected by fees — to be used to carry out Obama’s immigration actions.
Congressman Robert Aderholt’s (R-AL) bill suffers from a similar lack of specifics on funding cessation, which suggests that Republicans are either still grasping at straws or simply don't want to show their hand.
Aderholt is clear, however, on continuing the enforcement program of Secure Communities, which hasn't proven to make any communities more safe. From the New York Times:
[T]he program’s effect on crime has been zero, according to research by two law professors, one at the University of Chicago and one at New York University, who have studied Secure Communities for years.
Aderholt's also keen on "ICE detainers ..."
... in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement asks local law enforcement agencies to keep an immigrant in custody, even if they would otherwise be released.
Perfect. The GOP is already killing its 2016 prospects.