The deportation of young immigrants who came to the US as minors is not in the national interest, according to Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ryan made the comments in an interview with AP Newsmaker on Wednesday, as he and the Democratic Party attempt to find a legislative fix for the problem, in collaboration with President Donald Trump.
Ryan said that Trump made the right decision by allowing Congress a six-month window to decide what to do with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, created in 2012 by President Barack Obama before it is closed down. The program has enabled almost 800,000 young undocumented immigrants to legally work in the US, free of the threat of deportation.
Ryan says he wanted the President to give Congress time to fix the problem, which he did. Ryan was set to meet with Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, yesterday evening, before having dinner at the White House with both Trump and Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, to discuss issues including DACA, the White House, and Congressional aides have reported.
Trump has also had meetings with moderate Congress members and Senators from both the major political parties to discuss tax overhauls. This signals a new willingness for cooperation from Democrats and Republicans alike and gives hope that some compromise can be found on immigration,, an issue that has vexed lawmakers in the US for many years.