House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Friday that the Obama-era deportation amnesty for Dreamers was illegal — but said President Trump shouldn’t cancel it, saying Congress has to be part of the solution.
The president is facing a Sept. 5 deadline for a decision on whether to phase out the program or mount an uphill battle to defend it in court. Texas has said it will file a challenge unless the president agrees to end the program.
But Mr. Ryan suggested he blow past that deadline and keep the program in place.
“I actually don’t think he should do that, and I believe that this is something that Congress has to fix,” the Wisconsin Republican told WCLO radio in his hometown of Janesville.
Mr. Ryan said former President Barack Obama crafted “law out of thin air” when he announced the amnesty in 2012.
But Mr. Ryan said the Dreamers are sympathetic figures who are now in legal limbo, and deserve a full solution.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump to nix Obama-era amnesty for Dreamers: Report
“I really do believe that there needs to be a legislative solution. That’s one we’re working on. We want to give people peace of mind,” he said.
Mr. Ryan didn’t say what that legislation is that he’s working on.
About 800,000 Dreamers are currently protected by the amnesty, known in Washington as DACA.
The president was holding meetings this week to try to figure out what to do about the legal deadline Texas has set.
Activists on both sides of the issue were anticipating Mr. Trump would try to scrap the program, siding with legal analysts who say there’s little chance DACA would be upheld by the courts after a similar Obama-era amnesty, known as DAPA, was struck down.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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