US House Republicans delay voting on immigration bill amid chaos

WASHINGTON - Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives on Thursday delayed a vote until Friday on a "moderate" immigration bill amid chaos over the White House practice of separating families who illegally cross the US border.

The decision came just after the House rejected a "hardline" immigration bill with 193 votes in favor and 231 against earlier on the day. Every Democrat and 41 Republicans voted against it.

Republican House leaders since decided they need more time to rally support to secure 218 votes for the "moderate" legislation.

Both bills were backed by the White House, whose "zero tolerance" policy against illegal immigration has come under fire home and abroad over the forced separation of children from their parents entering the United States illegally.

Under the so-called "moderate" or "compromise" bill, the Donald Trump government will stop the forced migrant family separation, get 25 billion dollars to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, and allow up to 1.8 million Dreamers, the recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, to apply for US citizenship.

The failed "hardline" bill would have provided funding for a border wall, ended the diversity visa lottery program, limited family-based visas, created an agriculture guest worker program requiring employers to use the E-Verify program and allowed for the federal government to cut funding for sanctuary cities.

Earlier on Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan defended his decision to bring both the hardline and moderate bills to the floor.

"We're giving the members the ability to vote for the policy of their preference," Ryan said Thursday morning. "The bills that are coming to the floor today are bills that if it got to [Trump's] desk he would sign it into law. Therefore it is a legitimate exercise."

The top Republican in the House didn't commit to bringing up a stand-alone bill to address family separations.

"If these bills do not pass today then we will cross that bridge when we get to it," he said on Thursday morning, "But the last thing I want to do right now is undercut the votes that we're about to have."

Trump tweeted Thursday morning, slamming Democrats of preventing congressional action on immigration.

"What is the purpose of the House doing good immigration bills when you need 9 votes by Democrats in the Senate, and the Dems are only looking to Obstruct (which they feel is good for them in the Mid-Terms)," Trump tweeted.

The president on Wednesday signed an executive order under which parents prosecuted for entering US illegally would no longer be separated from their children. Instead, families would remain together in the custody for the length of legal proceedings against them.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families after illegally crossing the US border in April and May.