Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer believes that Republicans will join the Democratic Party to protect illegal immigrants if the media shows pictures of people getting deported.

“God forbid, but the pictures of people being deported will rally the nation,” Schumer said Wednesday on “The Rachel Maddow Show.” “And these more mainstream Republicans — admittedly, not a majority of the Republican Party, but enough — when they add them to Democrats, could pass the bill.”

Schumer also said that the Democrats “are in better shape than five days ago” before the party refused to extend funding for the government without protections for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, forcing a government shutdown.

RELATED: Schumer Had Different Ideas On Immigration In 2009

Some Republicans have indicated that they are willing to protect the childhood arrivals, but the White House insists that it won’t support any DACA deal without funding for the border wall. Schumer, however, no longer wants to offer border funding.

“We’re going to have to start on a new basis and the wall offer is off the table,” the minority leader told reporters Tuesday.

The Democratic base ridiculed Schumer after he allowed a vote to reopen the government Monday, criticizing him for taking a stand against Republicans for nothing.

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