A Republican congressman from a heavily Hispanic district is breaking ranks from his party to join Democrats in an eleventh-hour push for a broad immigration overhaul before the end of the year.
Rep. Jeff Denham from California plans to sign on as the lone GOP member with 185 Democrats to cosponsor a plan that will give millions of unauthorized immigrants the chance to attain citizenship.
A handful of House Republicans have expressed support for citizenship legislation similar to the bipartisan bill that passed the Senate over the summer. But Denham is taking the additional — and politically provocative — step of locking arms with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, also from California, and other top Democrats trying to neutralize opposition from House conservatives and shake up a polarized immigration debate.
"I'm the first Republican," he said in an interview. "I expect more to come on board."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.