A moderate Republican reportedly said his bloc has reached a tentative deal with farther-right Congress members to protect young immigrants in the country illegally.

The fate of so-called “Dreamers” has dominated immigration talks since Donald Trump moved to cancel an Obama-era programme - since revived by the courts - that allowed young people in the country illegally to obtain legal status and work authorisation.

Centrist Republicans have redoubled their efforts in recent weeks to find a resolution, and California Republican Jeff Denham told the Associated Press they had arrived at an agreement with more conservative members.

He said the proposal would offer young immigrants visas allowing them to remain in the United States for eight years and could involve measures to bolster border security - including funding for Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico.

Conservative Republicans shied away from declaring they had a deal fully fleshed out.

“The negotiations have reached a critical stage,” House Freedom Caucus Chair Mark Meadows told McClatchy. “To talk specifics draws too many lines in the sand, I think.”

After campaigning on the wall, Mr Trump has pushed for an immigration compromise that helps advance the project. Congress has so far declined to allocate the billions of dollars necessary for construction.

The president has also called for restrictions on legal immigration, including an end to a diversity visa system and a move from the current family-reunification-based framework to an emphasis on skills.

Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami Show all 15 1 /15 Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami The Aketo sea wall, damaged in the 2011 tsunami, in Tanohata village Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami Vending machines in front of a sea wall at Hirota Bay in Rikuzentakata Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami ‘Miracle Pine’, a tree which symbolises hope and recovery after it survived the tsunami Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami A sign notifying a tsunami evacuation area in front of a sea wall in Tanohata village Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami A sea wall under construction is surrounded by scaffolding in Tanohata Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami The sun rises over a sea wall at Kesennuma beach Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami A bus drives past a sea wall in Yamada village Photography by Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami The damaged Aketo sea wall, viewed from Tanohata’s newly built one Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami Residential houses and commercial buildings behind a sea wall at Miyako port Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami A woman walks on a road close to the wall in Ofunato Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami A high wave hits a wall in Tanohata Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami Yamada village’s protective sea wall at night Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami A man looks through one of Kesennuma wall’s windows Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami Large bags contain construction materials for reinforcing a wall in Tanohata village Reuters Life inside Japan’s sea walls after the 2011 tsunami An oyster farm behind a sea wall at Hirota Bay in Rikuzentakata Reuters

November midterm elections have given members of Congress an additional incentive to be able to point to a Dreamers deal - especially for vulnerable members like Mr Denham who are facing challenges from Democrats in competitive districts.

“For too long, young Dreamers across the country have been stuck under a cloud of fear and uncertainty,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi - like Denham, a Californian - said as Republicans were meeting

US Senator Jeff Merkley denied access to immigration detention centre where parents were separated from their children

Earlier in the day, House Republican leader Paul Ryan said he intended to bring a compromise immigration bill up for a floor vote in the coming weeks.