Ryan: I support a 'pathway to legal status'

By Curt Mills, Curt Mills

Published December 20, 2015

House Speaker Paul Ryan iterated his support for a "pathway to legal status" for illegal immigrants Sunday, but opposed a pathway to citizenship, and also rejected the much more harsh immigration plan of GOP presidential primary front-runner Donald Trump.

"I think you could have a pathway to legal status… it's a way to make amends with the law, effectively go on probation, and earn your way to legal status, but not to citizenship," Ryan said on "60 Minutes."

When asked whether the U.S. would be deporting millions of illegal immigrants under Paul's watch, Ryan said, "I don't see how it could happen."

"I take it you don't advocate 11 million illegal immigrants and deporting them?" reporter Scott Pelley asked.