Immigration Reform News 2015: Senator Graham Urges Republicans to Pass Clean D.H.S. Funding Bill

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has called on fellow Senate Republicans to end the stalemate with President Obama and pass a clean funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

At the same time, Senate Republicans are pushing to proceed with the House-passed bill that cuts funding to the President's immigration executive actions announced last November.

Speaking on ABC's "This Week" program, Graham said he agreed with the decision of a Texas court that temporarily blocked the implementation of the President's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

However, he said, Senate Republicans should pass a clean D.H.S. bill and let the court decide on the President's executive actions.

"I hope Republicans will come together and back the court case, file a friend of the court brief with the court and fund D.H.S.," he said. "I am willing and ready to pass a D.H.S. funding bill and let this play out in court. The worst possible outcome for this nation is to defund the Department of Homeland Security given the multiple threats we face to our homeland. And I will not be part of that."

Senate Democrats have blocked the D.H.S. bill, saying it should be passed without the provisions that defund the President's immigration programs.

Graham urged his House Republican colleagues to challenge the President's programs in court and said that Republicans will be blamed if the D.H.S. funding is not passed.

"I hope my House colleagues will understand that our best bet is to challenge this in court, that if we don't fund the Department of Homeland Security, we'll get blamed as a party and to anyone who is watching the world as it is, I've never seen more terrorist organizations with more safe havens, with more money, with more capability to strike the homeland than today," he added.

President Obama previously announced that the government will appeal the Texas ruling. "I disagree with the Texas' judge's rule and the Justice Department will appeal," he said.

Graham has expressed his intention to run for president in 2016.