The Hill: Push for DACA Amnesty Deal Gaining Steam in the House

Renewed bipartisan efforts to hammer out a permanent fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has illegal immigration advocates hopeful that a DACA amnesty deal will reach the House floor this year where “a majority of House members” want to see it passed, Rafael Bernal reports in theHill.

From the Hill:

A group of a few dozen Republicans, led by Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.), is preparing a letter asking Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for a DACA fix before year’s end, according to Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairwoman Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.).

Lujan Grisham said the CHC, which Democrats use to spearhead immigration efforts, is increasingly working with Republican lawmakers on finding a DACA fix. She credited the group’s whip, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), for building those bridges.

Lujan Grisham said that Democrats would stay firm on a commitment to negotiate on government spending only when a path forward for DACA was resolved, pointing out that Republicans have enough votes to pass measures through the House.

Veteran lawmakers who’ve been involved in previous immigration reform attempts are holding increasingly open discussions on the matter.

After a long talk on the House floor with Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) said “we’re trying out to figure out how we get there.”

Read the rest here.