A relatively quiet congressional effort to achieve bipartisan progress on immigration appeared to meet an untimely end last week.
In the mix of the lame-duck session, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat from Arizona turned independent, had been working with Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., on a bill that would have addressed critical areas in immigration: the fate of so-called Dreamers, billions of dollars to secure the southern border, and better, faster processing of asylum claims.
Unable to lock down the 60-vote supermajority needed to end the inevitable filibuster, the two senators will not be able to include the bill in year-end appropriations legislation, all but ending any hope of immigration reform this year.
