At the time, Trump started negotiating a deal with Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to protect Dreamers. Pelosi and Schumer insisted the bipartisan Dream Act as a legislative solution. However, the negotiations slowed down because the President suffered backlash from conservatives.
Fixing DACA is the right thing to do
Last month, dozens of House Republicans demanded a permanent legislative solution to the DACA program. In fact, they wanted to tackle the issue before the holidays. They told House Speaker Paul Ryan that “reaching across the aisle” to protect Dreamers is the right thing to do. The program is an urgent matter.
However, Speaker Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated that DACA is not a priority. “There is no crisis. There’s no emergency. The president has given us to March to address it,” said McConnell in an interview with ABC News in December.
Also in December, a bipartisan group of governors encouraged the Congress to prevent the deportation of thousands of Dreamers. They believe that DACA recipients do not know any other home but the United States. According to the governors, the Dreamers are Americans too. They stand with them because it is good for a strong American 21st century economy. In addition, they believe that protecting the undocumented young immigrants is “good for our communities” and the “right thing to do.”
