Late yesterday and on into today, the stories were running that Trump intended to order an end to the illegal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, program as early as Friday. This program had the high minded goal of removing the threat of deportation from people who had been brought to the United States illegally as children and granting them a work permit. In reality it was a cheap political stunt that ensured these people would forever remain unable to participate fully in the civic and economic life of the nation in exchange for a feel-good. Making it worse is the fact that it is unlikely to survive court challenge.

Earlier today, House Speaker Paul Ryan indicated that he opposed Trump’s decision

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Friday that the Obama-era deportation amnesty for Dreamers was illegal — but said President Trump shouldn’t cancel it, saying Congress has to be part of the solution. The president is facing a Sept. 5 deadline for a decision on whether to phase out the program or mount an uphill battle to defend it in court. Texas has said it will file a challenge unless the president agrees to end the program. But Mr. Ryan suggested he blow past that deadline and keep the program in place. “I actually don’t think he should do that, and I believe that this is something that Congress has to fix,” the Wisconsin Republican told WCLO radio in his hometown of Janesville.

The fact is that there is a bill in the House to fix the problem. The bill is HR. 3440. And there is a companion bill in the Senate, S. 1615. If you don’t like HR. 3440, because it was crafted by a Democrat and contains who knows what, GOP Rep. Mike Coffman has a bill called the Bridge Act.

Rep.Coffman(R-CO) along w/ 12 Repub co-sponsors, introduced the #BRIDGEAct bill that protects the 800k ppl in DACA.https://t.co/TFHtidVB1v — Wes Jordan? (@wesley_jordan) September 1, 2017

The problem is that the House and the Senate have done squat on these bills despite knowing for months that this day was coming.

Paul Ryan says he thinks Congress should address DACA. Someone should introduce him to the speaker of the House, no? — Rick Klein (@rickklein) September 1, 2017

The reason for the inaction is pretty banal. If Ryan convinces Trump to leave DACA intact, he gets his caucus through 2018 without having to cast a vote to either grant “amnesty” so some 800,000 illegals or to okay the deportation of some 800,000 people who are pretty much American in outlook. If Trump pulls the plug on DACA, then Ryan has to decide which hurts his caucus more: acting or not acting. Neither of those options is going to sell all that well.

What Ryan said is utter gibberish. Congress has uncontested power to regulate immigration and naturalization. The President is charged with faithfully executing the laws. DACA is a violation of that charge. Congress is part of the solution; in fact, Congress is the whole solution. Unfortunately, Paul Ryan wants Congress to continue being part of the problem and he wants cover from Trump to do it.

Awaiting the massive outcry from Team Conservative Principles about Paul Ryan wanting to keep the unconstitutional DACA order in effect.? pic.twitter.com/nXGJx0NRC2 — Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) September 1, 2017