House Speaker Paul Ryan assembled an informal working group of GOP lawmakers in an attempt to hash out a legislative solution to reform the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Lawmakers have six months to craft legislation to fix DACA — which safeguards more than 800,000 illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation — after President Donald Trump repealed the Obama-era executive order last week. The group will consist of members representing all factions of the GOP conference in hopes of striking an agreement the majority of the party can get behind, Politico first reported.
In addition to Ryan, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, Rep. Mario Diaz Balart of Florida, Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, Rep. John Carter of Texas and Rep. Martha McSally will take part in the discussions.
The announcement of the working group comes shortly after Democrats declared they struck an agreement with the president to codify safeguards for “DREAMers” while crafting a border security package that doesn’t include funding for a border wall.
Republicans pushed back on the notion an agreement had been reached, asserting it was just a discussion.
GOP leadership will continue to meet with their Democratic counterparts in an attempt to find common ground on the issue.
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