Three Texans Appointed to House DACA Task Force

House Speaker Paul Ryan appointed three Texas congressmen to serve on the task force that will determine if or how Capitol Hill will proceed on the plan to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive amnesty program. The 10-member DACA Task Force is charged with finding a legislative solution to the program being phased out under President Donald Trump’s orders.

Speaker Ryan appointed Republican U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul, John Carter, and Will Hurd to the panel. Each of these members serves in key positions in the House Homeland Security Committee and key subcommittees, Roll Call reported.

Following a threatened lawsuit to challenge DACA by Texas and nine other states, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on September 5 that the Trump Administration would phase out the executive amnesty program in six months. Later that day, President Trump tossed the DACA matter to the Congress, tweeting, “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!”

Rep. McCaul chairs the House Homeland Security Committee while Rep. Carter leads the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee; and Rep. Hurd serves as a member of the Homeland Security Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee.

The other members of the task force include Speaker Ryan, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte (R-VA), Rep. Raúl R. Labrador (R-ID) who serves as chairman of the Judiciary Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) who serves as chairman of the Judiciary Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations Subcommittee, Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) who serves as chair of the Homeland Security Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) who serves as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.