President Donald Trump said in September that he would wind down the Obama-era program next year. | Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images Dreamer fix shouldn’t be in deal to avoid shutdown, Trump tells senators

President Donald Trump stressed to Senate Republicans Thursday that a legislative fix on Dreamers should not be included in any spending bill to stave off a government shutdown in December.

“The president made it very clear that he doesn’t want to see any DACA legislation as part of a year-end package,” said Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, one of more than half a dozen Senate Republicans who attended a meeting at the White House. That sentiment also extends to other must-pass bills set to pass Congress this year, according to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), such as a reauthorization of a children's health insurance program.


Democrats have eyed the must-pass funding bill as a key opportunity to codify into law the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has shielded hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Trump said in September that he would wind down the Obama-era program next year, and Democrats have been pressuring Republicans — some even threatening a shutdown if necessary — to enact legislation granting legal status to Dreamers by the end of the year.

If Trump stands by his comments, it will increase the odds of a government shutdown, as Republican leadership will almost certainly need a large chunk of votes from Democrats to keep the government open. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has already said she will not vote for a spending bill without a DACA fix, and on Thursday evening, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted that she wouldn’t support a year-end bill unless Congress passes legislation granting citizenship for Dreamers.

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“Republicans can talk to themselves in the mirror all they want," said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "But the fact is the vote is the currency of the realm and Republicans frequently find themselves holding an empty wallet.”

Senate Republicans have been working behind the scenes to craft a border security and immigration enforcement package that could be paired with legislation giving relief to Dreamers, but any such measure will also need Democratic support. The small working group of GOP senators have been trying to come up with a proposal that would get significant support from the rest of the Republican conference that they can then pitch to Democrats in order to get 60 votes in the Senate.

But Democrats have seen no such plan from Republicans just yet, and there's mounting concern that time is quickly running out to keep the legal protections for nearly 700,000 Dreamers who are currently shielded under the five-year-old program.

"We have to find a way to get this done before the end of the year," said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the party's point person on immigration.

Republicans, at least publicly, are still far from agreement on their own DACA package — particularly what other immigration provisions should be paired with it to attract support from other GOP lawmakers.

Cotton said the senators and Trump did not rule any policy measure in or out during the late-morning strategy session. And other lawmakers who attended said the broad framework of a DACA deal should include border security, interior enforcement and measures to end so-called chain migration, while keeping the overall framework tightly bound so it doesn't spiral into a broader comprehensive immigration reform battle.

"There's consensus that comprehensive isn't a good idea because it fails every time we do it," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). "There's consensus that the parameters that we set forth was a good phase one."

Two senators said Trump would also like to — as part of the DACA talks — get rid of the green card lottery, which has come under increased scrutiny this week after federal officials said the suspect in Tuesday's terror attack in New York City initially entered the United States with a visa obtained through that program. But Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) has been wary of doing so since that could trigger a whole debate about visa reforms that lawmakers would rather save for later.

Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said it was likely that Congress would take up a DACA fix sometime in January or February. Other GOP senators who met with Trump were Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, James Lankford of Oklahoma, and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he wanted to talk privately with Republicans who attended the White House meeting before commenting, although he was still bullish that some sort of DACA package would pass because of GOP support for it.

But Democratic leaders will certainly face pressure from outside advocacy groups to pull out all the stops to include a DACA fix in must-pass bills this year, even with top Republicans ruling out the option.

"We really think that this is going to be an important moment for Democrats to show their commitment, said Frank Sharry, the executive director of America's Voice. "I am confident and optimistic that Democrats will step up."

Elana Schor and Ted Hesson contributed to this report.