Immigration Reform News 2015: Senate Democrats Block Bill Proposing To Cut Funding To Obama's Immigration Programs

Senate Democrats successfully blocked on Wednesday a bill that would cut funding to President Barack Obama's immigration programs, which are tied to the budget of the Department of Homeland Security.

The bill, known as the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act 2015, was voted 53-47 but failed to get 60 votes needed for it to be brought to the floor.

The deadlock comes as the Feb. 27 deadline on the end of Homeland Security funding nears.

Senate Republicans will attempt again on Thursday to vote for the measure. The House of Representatives passed the bill last Jan. 14.

The bill prohibits the use of Homeland Security funds for the Obama administration's Immigration Accountability Executive Actions that prioritize the deportation of immigration who are deemed threats to national security, border security and public safety including those suspected of terrorism and espionage.

The program also defers the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for five years and are parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

It also cuts funding to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Obama expanded last November by granting relief from deportation for three years to people who entered the U.S. as children before Jan. 1, 2010.

The House-passed bill said Obama's immigration policies "have no statutory or constitutional basis and therefore have no legal effect."

Republican Sen. Susan Collins agreed that the part that would defund the DREAM programs should be removed, according to Reuters. DREAM stands for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors.

"I just think it's not right to send them back to their home countries when many of them have known no other home than America, and they didn't make the decision to come here. Their parents brought them here," she said.

Democrats insist for a clean bill that would solely focus on funding the DHS and not include denying funds to Obama's immigration programs.

At the White House, Obama met with six kids under the DREAM Act and vowed that he will veto any legislation that would deport them.

"I want to be as clear as possible: I will veto any legislation that got to my desk that took away the chance of these young people who grew up here and who are prepared to contribute to this country that would prevent them from doing so. And I am confident that I can uphold that veto," he said.

He said "there's there's been talk about not funding [the Department of Homeland Security] because of the disagreement around immigration reform.

"There's no logic to that position, particularly for Republicans who claim that they are interested in strong border security. Why would you cut off your nose to spite your face by defunding the very operations that are involved in making sure that we've got strong border security, particularly at a time when we've got real concerns about countering terrorism?" Obama asked.