For months, 800,000 young people have had their careers, lives and educations thrown in tumult as they wait for Congress to act.

It’s time they do so by authorizing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The so-called Dreamer program, which allows legal work and student status for those who were brought illegally to this country by their parents, was created by President Obama.

In September, President Trump reversed Obama’s executive order and told Congress it should decide the future of the program.

Republicans in Congress long blasted Obama for his executive action on Dreamers, saying he overstepped his authority and that Congress is the correct place to deal with it. But now that Trump has handed the issue to Congress, those same critics have shown little interest in tackling it.

DACA is taking on new importance this week as a Friday deadline looms for Congress to pass a short-term budget to avoid a government shutdown. Many Democrats and even a few Republicans have long warned they might oppose a budget deal if DACA isn’t settled.

Congress should expect no leadership on the DACA question from Trump. As with many issues, he has taken to Twitter to offer various, often contradictory stands on DACA.

But they don’t need him. There have been proposals relating to a DACA program that have received bipartisan support in the past. It’s an issue that many on both sides can actually agree on.

We’ve long called for comprehensive immigration reform. That’s still a big need. But it’s clear that it is not going to happen in the hyper partisanship and anti-immigrant bent in Washington these days.

But Congress could quickly agree on allowing DACA to continue the same as it has in recent years or tweak it some to gain the support it might need to pass.

Allowing young immigrants to stay in this country is not only the morally correct decision but an economically correct one. Many employers large and small support giving some amnesty and path to citizenship to these young people looking to build a future.

— Mankato Free Press, Dec. 4