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 D�az-Balart (R-Fla.), Rep. Luis Guti�rrez (D-Ill.) said �we�re trying out to figure out how we get there.�
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