Two U.S. representatives, each who represent states with large immigrant populations, have introduced legislation to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without negative impacts to President Barack Obama's deferred action programs.

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., and Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., sponsored H.R. 861. The legislation comes a little more than two weeks before HDS funding expires.

According to Roybal-Allard, the first Mexican American woman to serve in Congress since her election in 1993, Congress is "no closer" to providing funds for the DHS' 2015 fiscal year despite the need to protect the U.S. from terrorist threats. She added, "The Senate has definitively demonstrated that there are insufficient votes to bring up a DHS funding bill containing the House-passed poison pill riders. The clean, bipartisan, full-year DHS funding bill we are offering addresses the most pressing needs of the Department as it works to protect our country from harm. The President would sign that bill today, and we should send it to him."

The "poison pill riders" refers to the amendments attached to the original DHS funding bill (H.R. 240) from the House, which would defund Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provided eligible undocumented immigrant youths a temporary stay from deportation. The House passed H.R. 240 during January, largely along Republican votes. The Senate sought to pass the bill, but it has been blocked on three occasions by Senate Democrats.

Rep. Lowey said the Republican leadership is holding the DHS funding hostage. She added, "Democratic and Republican negotiators reached agreement on Homeland Security funding and policy issues in December, yet Republican leadership continues to play a dangerous and irresponsible political game, demanding a ransom that they cannot achieve through the normal legislative process. It is past time to end this charade and put a clean DHS funding bill on the floor."

Funding for the DHS will provide the department the financials for active duty Coast Guard military members, Border Patrol Agents, Secret Service agents, TSA security screeners and other officers.

During a House speech on Wednesday, Roybal-Allard acknowledged Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson's warnings about the failure to pass the funding bill.

"He (Johnson) tells us that without a full-year budget, he is unable to move forward on key homeland security priorities, including new investments in border security technology; more aggressive investigations by ICE related to drug smuggling, human smuggling, and trafficking; preparedness for responding to surges in illegal migration; security upgrades at the White House Complex; and grants for state and local terrorism prevention and response capabilities," said Roybal-Allard. "And the list goes on."

Roybal-Allard noted the efforts to confine Obama's immigration executive actions should not affect an appropriations bill, but rather through the authorizing committees. She recognized congressional passage of H.R. 240 with the amendments would cost the government $7.5 billion, as Latin Post reported, based on the Congressional Budget Office.

"Republicans control majorities in both the House and the Senate, and they control the agenda," Roybal-Allard continued. "By allowing a vote on the clean, full-year bipartisan DHS funding bill, the leadership today has the opportunity to make clear that the nation's security takes priority over unrelated policy debates over immigration enforcement strategy."

During his weekly press conference, Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, placed blame for the DHS funding hurdles on Senate Democrats. He said, "When it comes to funding the Department of Homeland Security, there is no dispute amongst Republicans. House Republicans and Senate Republicans all agree, and frankly, Senate Democrats should stop blocking debate on the House-passed bill."

Boehner said Senate Democrats can offer amendments to the DHS funding bill currently in the Senate. He said Democrats will have to face the responsibility if DHS funding expires.

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