On April 21, 2015 the Senate reached agreement that proposed immigration amendments will not be included in the list of Amendments to S. 178, the anti-human trafficking bill that has stalled the confirmation vote for Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch. Four Senators—Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and Sen. Thom Thillis (R-FL)—had proposed amendments that would have restricted constitutional birthright citizenship, eliminated protections for unaccompanied children, and granted DHS broad power to detain non-citizens for prolonged periods, among other harmful measures. Prior to reaching an agreement, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) had urged his Republican colleagues not to “destroy this human-trafficking legislation that is so important.” The Senate is scheduled to hold Lynch’s confirmation vote on Thursday.
