Ryan says House will vote Thursday on immigration bill that keeps families together
House Speaker Paul Ryan says that the House will aim to pass legislation that will "take action to keep families together" while also enforcing existing immigration laws amid growing pressure over the administration's "zero tolerance" policy. Under the bill, Ryan says, "families will remain together under DHS custody throughout the length of their legal proceedings."
"We do not want children taken away from their parents. We can enforce our immigration laws without breaking families apart. The administration says it wants Congress to act and we are. Tomorrow, the House will vote on legislation to keep families together," he told reporters Wednesday.
Ryan said the federal government should not be in the position of having to choose between "enforcing our laws, keeping our borders and keeping families together."
Mr. Trump specifically asked members to support the compromise bill when he met with Republican House members Tuesday. "He asked us to pass this legislation which stops this policy for good," Ryan said.
Further, Ryan added, the legislation "solves DACA in a very elegant way" and will help finance DHS facilities for families at the border "to make sure that they're going to be taken care of."
Asked by CBS News' Nancy Cordes if Republicans were using detained children at the border as leverage to pass legislation, Ryan called the assertion "ridiculous."
"We don't think people should be separated at the border, but we should also not make the government have to choose between whether to support he law, secure the border and keep in tact, they ought to do all those things, that's why were having a vote on this tomorrow," he said.
This is a developing story.