Lawmakers who met with President Trump on Tuesday to discuss immigration say they have narrowed the scope of a potential deal, and said that work has left them optimistic that a bill can be written and passed.
“I thought it was a very productive meeting in terms of setting up the parameters of the negotiations, the parameters of the discussions,” said Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo, after the meeting. “I leave the meeting under the impression the four parameters of the negotiations have been agreed to.”
A group of 20 Democrats and Republicans met with Trump to begin hashing out a bipartisan deal to protect so-called Dreamers who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children, in exchange for new border security and interior immigration reform measures.
Senators said they decided on four parameters: protecting the Dreamers so they can stay and work in the U.S., implementing the border and interior enforcement measures, limiting chain migration, and changing the visa lottery system, perhaps in a way that can benefit those who are now part of the expiring program for those living in the United States under temporary protected status.
“If we can stick with those limited topics, that is good news,” Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who attended the meeting, said after returning to the Capitol.
Flake said he entered the meeting without “any hope of anything,” because “with 22 people in the room you don’t negotiate.” But Flake said Trump showed “a few encouraging things,” including “flexibility in terms of what we do in this phase and in the next phase, and the acknowledgement of a lot of what we do can be part of a comprehensive plan, but not now.”
Flake has been a staunch advocate of the narrow bill that focuses on the Dreamers and some border security and has discouraged lawmakers from attempting a comprehensive immigration reform given that the Dreamers lose their protected status by March 5.
The two sides now appear to agree that immigration reform will happen in two phases and the first bill will include the narrowly focused four parameters.
“Maybe there is a deal that can be done,” Flake said.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called the meeting “very helpful,” and said “people listened to each other.” She described the meeting as “a beginning.”
Another bipartisan meeting is slated for Wednesday.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he will meet this week with Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., to develop a time frame for completing the immigration deal ahead of the March 5 deadline.
Al Weaver contributed to this story.
