House Speaker Paul Ryan said he doesn’t want legislation to help “Dreamers” included in an end-of-year spending deal, and predicted the courts, not Congress, will decide the fate of young people who came here illegally as children.
“I think this issue is probably going to be dealt with by the courts,” Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters Thursday. He added that even if legislation is the way forward, he doesn’t want it included in the spending bill for fiscal year 2019.
A federal court has prevented the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, allowing Dreamers to continue working in the United States and avoid deportation. The court ruling, Ryan argued, removed a critical deadline that had been pushing the two parties to find a legislative solution, and he blamed Democrats for abandoning the effort.
“When we lost our deadline, Democrats walked away from the table,” Ryan said, adding that he believes the courts will decide “if Democrats choose not to participate in this debate.”
House Republicans attempted to pass immigration reform legislation last month but could not come up with enough GOP votes to pass two bills that were offered. Democrats opposed both measures, including one that would have provided a special pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.
Lawmakers have speculated that a deal to legalize Dreamers could be part of a must-pass fiscal 2019 spending deal later this year, but Ryan said Thursday he would not support the move.
He said any deal will have to include President Trump’s four requirements, which include an end to the diversity visa lottery program, robust funding for a southern border wall and reductions in chain migration.
Trump’s plan also provided a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million Dreamers.
“I think the four pillars are the way we land,” Ryan said, referring to Trump’s requirements. “And I don’t want to use an artificial deadline like the end of the fiscal year.”
