Possible 'Dreamers' Deal: Money for Border Wall

The fate of young immigrants in the US was thrust into limbo Tuesday when the White House announced it was phasing out the Obama-era DACA program, more formally known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. President Trump gave Congress six months to come up with a legislative alternative before the program ends in March, and he promised that the issue would be resolved "with heart and compassion—but through the lawful Democratic process," per NBC News. The White House maintains that President Obama's executive action was unconstitutional and that Congress, not the president, must decide such things. (Obama himself made a rare public statement criticizing the move.) Related coverage:

• A 'wall' trade? One idea being floated is a deal in which Republicans agree to legislation protecting "Dreamers" if Democrats agree to funding for a border wall, reports Newsweek. At Salon, Heather Digby Parton thinks Democrats should take any such deal offered. She opposes the wall, but "putting 800,000 Dreamer kids’ minds at rest will be worth it."

• Bannon test: This will be the biggest test yet of the power of Steve Bannon since leaving the White House, observes Politico. Bannon and other conservative advisers (including Stephen Miller and Jeff Sessions) pushed the president to end DACA, and Bannon could go after more moderate GOP voices on immigration, including Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan.
• Ryan, Rubio: In a statement, House speaker Ryan said he agreed that Obama overstepped with DACA and that was it never a "viable long-term solution." But he also said he hoped Congress could put legislation in place "ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong" can stay in the US. Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said Trump needed to give lawmakers a clear sense of what he'd be willing to sign, per the Miami Herald.
• Harvey hero: One recipient of DACA's protection was 31-year-old Alonso Guillen, who died trying to rescue people from Hurricane Harvey. The Houston Chronicle has more on his life story, and the New York Times notes that Trump chief of staff John Kelly has been moved by stories of Dreamers helping out in the wake of Harvey.
• Silicon Valley: Microsoft said it was "disappointed" in the White House decision, but said Congress must now rearrange its priorities over the next six months to protect Dreamers. The company employs 39 of them, and other tech companies are similarly worried.
• Not so complicated: At the National Review, Andrew McCarthy writes that Trump made the issue "more complicated than it needs to be." McCarthy makes the case that Obama's action was illegal and asserts that Trump's path is the correct one: "Follow the Constitution" and let Congress hammer out a compromise.
• Badly handled? At BuzzFeed, Ben Smith argues that Trump misplayed the issue, gave away his political leverage, and ended up with the worst possible outcome: "He's shooting the hostages."
• Full text: Here is the full text of Sessions' explanation of the decision. "The compassionate thing is to end the lawlessness," he says.

(More immigration stories.)