Claim: The expanded immigration deal brokered by Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ind.) was a “true bipartisan solution,” but failed because former President Donald Trump encouraged Republican senators to oppose it.
The verdict: Not entirely true. The deal was opposed by Republicans and a handful of Democrats when it was voted on twice earlier this year.
“For the first time in decades, we have a chance for a truly bipartisan solution,” a video from the Democratic National Convention said, referring to the Senate agreement reached by Lankford, Murphy and Sinema, which includes provisions such as speeding up the issuance of work permits for migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border.
“President Trump has directed his allies in the Senate to vote down this bill,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a video released by the Democratic National Committee.
But this argument fails to mention that many Senate Democrats opposed the pro-immigration agreement and joined Senate Republicans in blocking its passage.
For example, in February, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) all signed the White House presidential nominations. Participated Republicans tried to block the bill, with only four Republicans voting to pass it: Sens. Lankford (R-Okla.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
Then in May, Sen. Murkowski was the only Republican to join most Democrats in trying to move the deal forward in the Senate, while Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), LaFonza Butler (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) joined most Republicans in blocking the deal’s advancement in the Senate.
Harris and the DNC tried to argue the deal would have passed without Republican opposition, but some of its most vocal opponents were members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who rejected the deal because it did not include amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter. here.
