The big immigration push: One large bill or several smaller bills?

Democrats in both chambers are pushing for more overarching legislation, calling smaller attempts political posturing.

“Everybody wants their piece,” Lofgren said. “You talk to the ag people, you can’t do the tech thing because we need migrant farm workers. You’ve got husbands and wives separated for half a decade. What’s that do for our country? We have 2 million migrant farm workers who don’t have their papers and without them we don’t have an agricultural industry.”

Lofgren has advocated for encompassing legislation that would grant citizenship to some undocumented immigrants who came to the United States at a young age and go on to college or the military.

“I know these guys want to get something done,” she said. “The Republicans are going to lose, lose, lose if they don’t change on this issue. But it’s not the same political calculation within districts.”