Paul Ryan says not to doubt his 'real commitment' to DACA

Paul Ryan.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) assured Democrats on Thursday that in the whirlwind of budget negotiations, he hadn't forgotten about the hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants whose fates hang in the balance. "I know there is a real commitment to solving the DACA challenge in both political parties," Ryan said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects the so-called DREAMers from deportation. "That's a commitment that I share."

President Trump rescinded the DACA protections last year, setting a deadline of early March for Congress to come up with a legislative solution. But Ryan's stated "commitment" to immigration reform doesn't seem to stretch quite far enough for some House Democrats. Ahead of a vote on a budget deal set for Thursday evening, the speaker stopped short of promising a floor vote on DACA, prompting House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to express her "unease."

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Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.