House Republican leaders are opposed to President Donald Trump's efforts to retain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative through bipartisan cooperation, Politico reported on Sunday.
There was virtually no support for a bipartisan approach on the issue when a GOP working group put together by House Speaker Paul Ryan held two meetings last week to discuss immigration, with sources saying Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico must be included in a deal.
That demand contradicts the tentative agreement between the president and Democratic leaders, in which undocumented youth would get relief in exchange for enhanced border security but not any funds for the wall.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi made that clear in a joint opinion piece they wrote for CNN in which they said an understanding with Trump was reached for a path forward to protect DACA recipients and provide relief to young undocumented immigrants in exchange for securing the country's borders, but Democrats would "absolutely will not support increased interior enforcement or building the immoral, ineffective and expensive wall."
But the GOP's conservative wing, led by the hard-line Freedom Caucus, has made it clear that, in addition to funding for the wall, they demand an end to birthright citizenship or chain migration before even considering a continuation of DACA, Politico reported.
And House Speaker Paul Ryan, upon assuming his position, promised conservatives that he would never make them vote on an immigration bill that doesn't have the support of a majority of the majority, meaning that he could face a revolt if he puts Trump's DACA deal up for a vote.
However, hope for bipartisanship on the issue is not completely lost in the House. Politico reports that the Problem Solvers Caucus, which includes several dozen centrist Republicans and Democrats, is working on a bill that would codify Trump's understanding with Schumer and Pelosi.
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