An immigration crackdown bill co-sponsored by the two Hispanic-Americans running for president was blocked Tuesday in the Senate by Democrats.
The Republican-led bill pushed by Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida sought to impose new penalties, such as prison time for individuals who illegally re-enter the U.S., as well as strip federal grants for "sanctuary jurisdictions" that don't cooperate with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. It was proposed by Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana and a total of 14 co-sponsors.
The procedural vote to begin debate was 54 to 45, short of the 60 needed to defeat a filibuster. Two Democrats — Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia —supported the motion while one Republican — Mark Kirk of Illinois — opposed it.