"For us, it cannot go into next year. It’s just not possible. For us, any vote on an end-of-year spending bill [without a DACA fix] is a vote to deport youth," said Adrian Reyna, director of membership for United We Dream, an immigrant-led advocacy group.

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"Democrats in both the House and the Senate have made the promise to us and have made a public commitment to use the leverage in the budget negotiation to get the Dream Act.”

The Democratic leaders in both chambers, Sen. Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerSenate Democrats introduce legislation to probe politicization of pandemic response Schumer interrupted during live briefing by heckler: 'Stop lying to the people' Jacobin editor: Primarying Schumer would force him to fight Trump's SCOTUS nominee MORE (N.Y.) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare House lawmakers reach deal to avert shutdown Centrist Democrats 'strongly considering' discharge petition on GOP PPP bill MORE (Calif.), have both vowed to fight tooth-and-nail to secure the DACA protections this month.

“We will not leave here without a DACA fix,” Pelosi said last week.

But House Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 At indoor rally, Pence says election runs through Wisconsin Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates MORE (R-Wis.) has emphasized that Trump gave Congress until March 5 to come up with a DACA fix, suggesting he’s in no hurry to move on the issue before then. And he’s repeatedly rejected the notion of moving immigration language as part of a year-end spending bill.

“That's a separate issue,” Ryan reiterated Tuesday.

Democratic leaders in both chambers insist that they’re not giving up.

Sen. Richard Durbin Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinTumultuous court battle upends fight for Senate McConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden MORE (D-Ill.) suggested Wednesday that the bipartisan negotiations seeking a DACA deal have progressed further than the press has reported.

He wants a fix enacted this year, and most Senate Democrats, Durbin said, agree with him.

"They all feel as I do,” he said. “They want it done this year. And that's our goal so we'll keep working at it."

But some of the Republicans involved in those negotiations are much less optimistic that a deal can be enacted this year.

Sen. Thom Tillis Thomas (Thom) Roland TillisThe Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting OVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA head questions connection of climate change to natural disasters | Pebble Mine executives eye future expansion in recorded conversations | EPA questions science linking widely used pesticide to brain damage in children Liberal super PAC launches ads targeting vulnerable GOP senators over SCOTUS fight MORE (R-N.C.) was part of a group of GOP senators –– led by Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley Charles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleyCollins says she will vote 'no' on Supreme Court nominee before election The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump, GOP allies prepare for SCOTUS nomination this week Gardner signals support for taking up Supreme Court nominee this year MORE (R-Iowa) — who huddledTuesday night in search of a DACA agreement.

Tillis said the discussions will continue, but doubted the appetite of GOP leaders to move on the issue immediately.

"I think it's unrealistic for a couple of reasons,” he said. “Mechanically, it may be difficult to do, [and] we now hear that there is a very strong sentiment against putting this in the year-end bill on the House side .... and I think similarly on the Senate side."

House GOP leaders met Wednesday evening in the Capitol to discuss their plans for a CR to keep the government running beyond Dec. 22, when funding is set to expire.

Aside from the DACA issue, lawmakers are scrambling to shore up funding for hurricane and wildfire relief, a popular children’s health insurance program and ObamaCare subsidies that Senate GOP leaders had leveraged to secure support for their tax reform package, which is scheduled for a separate vote early next week.

Some Democrats have argued that delaying DACA until January would be worth the price if the Democrats were able to lock down some of their other priorities this month, since they would have similar — if not more — leverage ahead of next month’s omnibus debate.

But the immigration reformers say too much is at stake, both politically and practically, to delay any further. One group has been distributing buttons to lawmakers this week bearing the number 122, a reference to the estimated number of Dreamers who lose their legal protections each day that Congress fails to act.

"At a rate of 122 DACA recipients losing protections a day … kicking the can down the road any further does not maintain the status quo," said Tom Jawetz, a vice president of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, which is distributing the buttons.

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"I would not consider kicking the can down the road an acceptable result," he added.

Gutierrez also offered a political warning to fellow Democrats who want to delay action.

“For those who say we can wait, tell that to the thousands of Dreamers who will lose their work permit, who won’t be able to enter into a classroom, who won’t be able to enter into a hospital, who have to shutter their businesses,” Gutierrez said.

“Latinos are so used to hearing, ‘mañana,’ that that’s all they’re going to hear,” he added.

“They’re going to hear, ‘mañana.’

Jordain Carney contributed.