The prospects for an immigration overhaul effort that could reshape the contours of American society appeared grim Wednesday after a closed door meeting of House Republicans.

A majority of the fractious House Republican Conference lined up in opposition to (barely) bipartisan legislation already approved by the Democratic-controlled Senate, despite the urging of leaders to do something on the issue.

NPR’s Tamara Keith tells us that after the meeting, Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn said “there’s almost unanimous agreement among the Republicans that the Senate bill is fatally flawed.”

The Senate bill includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, a provision that’s anathema to the majority of House Republicans, most of whom reside in electorally safe, predominantly white districts.

California Rep. Buck McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said: “There was pretty strong consensus that the border has to be secured before anything else.” Including a path to citizenship.

According to Louisiana Rep. John Fleming, House Speaker John Boehner reassured the conference — as he has done in public and private many times before — that he will not allow an immigration bill to pass without a majority of the majority, a practice referred to as the Hastert Rule.

via House GOP: We Won’t Consider Senate Immigration Bill : It’s All Politics : NPR.