Lindsey Graham bends Senate rules to send his asylum-banning bill to a full vote

Senate Democrats want the old Lindsey Graham back.

On Thursday, the South Carolina Republican and Senate Judiciary chair bypassed committee rules to take a vote on an asylum bill despite committee Democrats' protests. The bill would essentially block undocumented immigrants from claiming asylum at the U.S. border, and it passed 12-10 along party lines after Graham largely declined to let Democrats voice their opposition to it, McClatchy reports.

Graham had tried to discuss and vote on his asylum overhaul bill in a Judiciary Committee meeting last week, but all the committee Democrats save for Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) boycotted it. Committee meetings need at least two members of the minority party present to vote on legislation or vote to hold it over until the next meeting, but even though that quota wasn't met, committee Republicans voted to "deem" it as held over anyway, The Hill reports. That prompted an uproar as Graham called for a vote on Thursday, with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) tearing up a copy of the committee rules and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) mourning Graham's immigration bipartisanship before President Trump took office.

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Graham's bill likely won't get the votes it needs to pass the Senate, and Feinstein said Thursday that even it does, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she wouldn't let it get a vote.