Trump, who will be inaugurated Jan. 20, has vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, fence off Mexico with a border wall and threatened to rip up the NAFTA
The 122 undocumented immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, including 45 minors, were rescued when traveling in overcrowded conditions aboard three trucks.
It's a key plank in a broader policy blueprint the House Speaker is crafting that seeks to unite Republicans amid the frequent distractions triggered by Trump's presidential campaign.
A vote on whether to reaffirm its strict protections and spell out when immigrants can be turned over to the U.S. government was planned for Tuesday.
About 6.8 million of the more than 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally are employed, according to government statistics.
The immigration courts with the highest number of open cases of Mexican citizens are California (37,670), Texas (23,340) and Illinois (9,965).
More than 257,000 immigrants from countries other than Mexico were apprehended at the border during the 2014 budget year.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia said the idea "plays on our worst fears and resentments."
Around 500,000 to 1 million Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans were pushed out of the country during the 1930s repatriation.
The Republican presidential hopeful said he would secure the boarder through more guards, fencing and air patrols.