“I’m all in favor of immigration reform,” Paul said on Sunday morning’s State of the Union, “but I’m like most conservatives in the country in that I think reform should be dependent on border security first. So I introduced an amendment that would have done just that, border security first and then immigration reform, with congressional checks on whether or not that’s occurring. That wasn’t voted on favorably. Without some congressional authority and without border security first, I can’t support the final bill.”

Paul added, “It’s going to pass the Senate, but it’s dead on arrival in the House. The House is much closer to me, and I think they think border security has to come first before you get immigration reform.”

The bill’s proponents are aiming for seventy votes for the bill, to put pressure on the House. Paul had been one of the more prominent holdouts, citing his general support of immigration reform but keeping a close eye on his conservative base by demanding trigger-based border security provisions that would have to be completed before citizenship measures kicked in.