GOP Leaders Urge Trump to Leave 'Dreamers' Alone

With President Trump promising a decision on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program Friday afternoon or sometime this weekend, a number of powerful Republican lawmakers—including House Speaker Paul Ryan—encouraged him not to end it. DACA—enacted by President Obama in 2012—allows immigrants brought to the US illegally as children to stay in the country without fear of deportation using two-year work permits. Ryan says the program was unconstitutional when Obama created it with an executive order, but Trump should still keep it in place while letting Congress find a solution, reports the Washington Post. "These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don’t know another home," Ryan says.

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch also asked Trump to let Congress find “a workable, permanent solution for individuals who entered the country unlawfully as children through no fault of their own and who have built their lives here.” And Politico reports Republican Sen. Jeff Flake said "Congress needs to take immediate action to protect DACA kids." Republican lawmakers were joined by CEOs in asking the president to keep the program. When asked Friday if so-called "Dreamers" had anything to fear, Trump said: "We love Dreamers; we love everybody ... The Dreamers are terrific." Trump had promised to end DACA during the campaign. Immigration advocates say 97% of the 787,000 Dreamers in the US are either working or in school, according to NBC News. (More Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals stories.)