Lawmakers are opening the door to reviving immigration negotiations, but a renewed effort to find a deal on border security is facing long odds on Capitol Hill.

With President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE’s frustration with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) boiling over and a spike in migrants detained at the border, the White House is jump-starting its outreach to Democrats.

Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney Mick MulvaneyMick Mulvaney to start hedge fund Fauci says positive White House task force reports don't always match what he hears on the ground Bottom line MORE and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan met Wednesday night with a group of Democrats — including Senate Minority Whip Dick 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.) and Sens. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel FeinsteinBiden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll Names to watch as Trump picks Ginsburg replacement on Supreme Court McConnell says Trump nominee to replace Ginsburg will get Senate vote MORE (D-Calif.) and Gary Peters Gary Charles PetersBiden's six best bets in 2016 Trump states GOP set to release controversial Biden report Democrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate MORE (D-Mich.), the top Democrats on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees — to make the case for why it’s time for Congress to resolve the “humanitarian crisis” along the border.

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But Durbin was noncommittal about the chances that the latest round of talks will break the stalemate between Congress and the administration, which has rejected immigration deals that have emerged from the Senate.

“I can just tell you, this president has broken my heart so many times on immigration,” he told The Hill. “I start with a healthy degree of skepticism that we can do anything substantial.”

Other Democrats involved in the talks described them as “broad,” with no decision yet on the parameters for further negotiations. Lawmakers and the administration are expected to meet again after Congress’s two-week recess.

The path to a deal on immigration and border security is fraught with political and policy landmines, with bases in both parties likely to draw hard lines on what they could support in a potential agreement heading into the 2020 election.

Immigration talks have routinely collapsed on Capitol Hill amid deep policy divisions on crucial issues, including an unresolved fight over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a conservative push to cut legal immigration and the perennial battle over Trump’s controversial U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Trump rejected a DACA-border security deal last year that included changes to the State Department’s diversity visa lottery program and family-based immigration policies two days after he told lawmakers that he would “take the heat” by supporting a bill. A separate proposal introduced by a group of Senate centrists last year failed to break a 60-vote filibuster after Trump threatened to veto it.

Sen. John Cornyn John CornynThe Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting Liberal super PAC launches ads targeting vulnerable GOP senators over SCOTUS fight Senate GOP faces pivotal moment on pick for Supreme Court MORE (R-Texas), a member of GOP leadership and the Judiciary Committee, told The Los Angeles Times that he isn’t getting his hopes up on the prospects of a deal this time around.

“Most of the time, the immigration debate is a zero-sum game, and we never quite get there,” he said. “It always ends up breaking your heart.”

Trump is throwing another wild card into the negotiations by lashing out at Democrats even as his administration has reached out to lawmakers. He characterized them as being “treasonous” on border security hours after Mulvaney met with a group of Senate Democrats.

Ramping up the fight Friday, Trump said he is considering sending undocumented immigrants to so-called sanctuary cities, which do not comply with federal immigration law.

“Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only,” Trump wrote in a tweet.

Democrats pounced on Trump’s comments, underscoring the political gap with the White House.

Speaker 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 (D-Calif.), whose support would be needed for any potential deal, told reporters that “it’s just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespectful of the challenges that we face as a county, as a people, to address who we are: a nation of immigrants.”

Sen. Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeySchumer: 'Nothing is off the table' if GOP moves forward with Ginsburg replacement Democrats see fundraising spike following Ginsburg death Democratic senator calls for eliminating filibuster, expanding Supreme Court if GOP fills vacancy MORE (D-Mass.) added that Congress “must investigate, hold hearings, and hold accountable those who proposed this horrific and illegal course of action.”

But the nascent talks about trying again on immigration are getting a boost from top Republicans, who argue that it’s past time to tackle the issue.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellPelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Senate GOP aims to confirm Trump court pick by Oct. 29: report Trump argues full Supreme Court needed to settle potential election disputes MORE (R-Ky.) told reporters during a pen-and-pad session in the Capitol that he was willing to “enter into a negotiation” with Democrats to try to find a deal that tackled the nation’s asylum laws and border security.

“It can't all be solved by changing personnel. Some of it requires changing the law. That means we have to deal with the Democrats. They're in the majority in the House,” McConnell said, tipping his hand to the shake-up at DHS that resulted in the department losing several senior officials in the past week.

Republican senators say they are also working to come up with a tightly focused deal that would tackle asylum.

Sen. Ron Johnson Ronald (Ron) Harold Johnson CIA found Putin 'probably directing' campaign against Biden: report This week: Supreme Court fight over Ginsburg's seat upends Congress's agenda GOP set to release controversial Biden report MORE (R-Wis.), the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he is working to draft narrow legislation, though he acknowledged it could expand in order to gain support.

“I’m not talking about the whole broken immigration system,” he said. “We need a more accurate initial determination of an asylum claim.”

He added that lawmakers were “a lot further along” than they have been in the past and that he has “interest from Democrats” in his proposal.

Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamSenate GOP aims to confirm Trump court pick by Oct. 29: report The Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting Senate GOP sees early Supreme Court vote as political booster shot MORE (R-S.C.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, added that he thinks it’s possible Congress could get a narrow deal. Though he wants the White House to put forward its own proposal, he said that if it does not do so by the time Congress returns from recess on April 29, he would be ready to introduce his own legislation.

“If there’s any reason left in the body, we’ll find a way to get there,” he told The Hill about the chances of getting a deal.

Pressed on how he could get Democrats to go along with changing asylum rules, he added, “That’s part of the negotiation. ... What do you want?”