In January 2017, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan assured a frightened Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and her young daughter that they had nothing to worry about:
"I want you to know that DACA has helped me. Do you think that I should be deported?" the woman asked, standing alongside her daughter.
"No," Ryan replied. "First of all, I can see that you love your daughter and you are a nice person who has a great future ahead of you, and I hope your future is here.
The young mom does indeed deserve the chance to have a great future, and that future should be here in the only country she’s ever known as home. Ryan, on the other hand, was full of shit:
Ryan in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday sought to discourage fellow Republicans from signing a measure that would force an immigration vote, members leaving the meeting said.
Rep. Bill Flores paraphrased the speaker as telling Republicans to "quit messing around with the discharge petition" and that it's "not a path to success."
The discharge petition, a long-shot legislative move that would force a vote on something like the DREAM Act, needs the support of at least 25 House Republicans. 20 have signed on so far, and Ryan is clearly arm-twisting other potential signatories into backing off:
California Rep. Jeff Denham said backers of the petition remain confident they have "more than enough votes." They believe they can hit the required number of signatures this week.
Actions, not words, are what’s needed. Nearly 35 House Republicans signed a letter late last year urging Ryan to act on permanent protections, more than enough to make up the missing votes from the discharge petition. Grow some backbone. Buck Ryan at least once, before he goes home for good.