The Democratic Illinois Senator Dick Durbin on Wednesday said that the majority of the Senate support a bipartisan immigration solution.
“The math is simple. We have 56 senators ready to move forward with this issue,” Durbin said.
Durbin’s comments look like he has the support of all 49 members of the Democratic caucus.
According to The Hill, that would require winning over red-state Democrats up for reelection next year as well as progressives and potential 2020 hopefuls, many of whom have pressed for a “clean” immigration bill.
Durbin’s spokesman did not immediately comment if the Democrat received the support from the caucus.
On Wednesday, Durbin was asked if he would be able to get every Democrat to support him, something the senator said was possible.
Senators that support the bill are Durbin, Jeff Flake and Lindsey Graham, while Michael Bennet and Bob Menendez pressured Senate leadership to bring up their bill in back-to-back floor speeches.
“I do believe that we have a proposal that can get 60 votes. …That’s what this bill is designed to do. In the end, that’s what it’s going to take, 60 votes,” Flake commented.
“If we’re waiting for the White House to come to us with a proposal that they can support, we’re likely waiting for a long time. …We have a proposal here that can garner enough support to pass the Senate. So let’s move on with it,” Flake added.
The Hill reported that Durbin, referring to the higher 60-vote threshold, argued that the other four votes “are there.”
The new solution to the immigrant bipartisan bill will tie a fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which will eliminate the Diversity Visa Lottery, make changes to family-based immigration and more than $2.7 billion in border security will be invested.
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