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Reuters
WASHINGTON
The US House of Representatives broke on Thursday for an 11-day recess with majority Republicans deadlocked over legislation to protect"Dreamer"immigrants from deportation while President Donald Trump insisted that Congress meet all his hard-line immigration demands.
Republicans have been deeply divided for years over immigration. The conservative base has been pushing to tighten the borders even as the party, hoping to keep its majority in Congress in November's election, has been trying to reach out to Hispanic voters who are a growing force in American politics.
The issue has House Speaker Paul Ryan in one of the toughest struggles of his career.
On one side, Trump and conservatives in Congress insist on construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and a clampdown on both legal and illegal immigration. Centrist Republicans, meanwhile, are pressing for permanent protections that could lead to citizenship for the"Dreamers,"immigrants who were brought illegally as children to the United States.
Trump has signaled he would favor some steps to protect Dreamers, but has not specified how, and he also insists on a border wall.
Ryan has said he is working with the White House on a plan that Trump would sign into law, but after weeks of intense negotiations, he has not yet forged a deal. He told reporters on Thursday that members were still seeking a consensus but gave no timeline for action.
"It's in complete flux,"said Republican Representative Patrick McHenry, a member of his party's House leadership team.
Representative Carlos Curbelo, one centrist trying to force Republican leaders to hold votes on a bipartisan Dreamer bill along with more conservative immigration legislation, told reporters:"For us, a permanent fair solution, a bridge into the legal immigration system, is critical."
