DREAMERS/HOUSE OF REPS/IMMIGRATION: “House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday [9-6-17] he would work to find a compromise that protects young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, suggesting the measure may be paired with additional border security.
The Wisconsin Republican said it was important to protect the young people in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision, announced Tuesday, to end the Obama -era program that gives them work authorization and safe harbor from deportation. Mr. Trump gave lawmakers six months to act before the protections begin to expire.
Mr. Ryan also affirmed the view of many Republicans that a legalization program should be combined with some sort of enforcement measure, such as additional border security funding. He didn’t offer specifics…
Many Republicans would like to protect this group of undocumented immigrants, reasoning that they didn’t make the decision to come to the U.S. illegally and shouldn’t be punished. But they are divided over how to proceed.
Some support passage of the Dream Act, proposed legislation that offers this group legal status and a path to citizenship. Others are willing to go along if Democrats agree to additional border security or immigration enforcement measures, with some insisting on funding for Mr. Trump’s controversial border wall. Still other Republicans oppose the program as amnesty for people who broke the law.
Mr. Ryan didn’t say whether a border security package should include wall funding, which Democrats are united against, or other measures to which Democrats might agree.”
-Laura Meckler and Byron Tau, “Ryan Pledges to Seek Compromise on Protection for ‘Dreamer’ Immigrants,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 6, 2017 12:28pm