WASHINGTON (AP) — Bargainers seeking a bipartisan immigration accord plan to resume talks quickly. Their desire for speed comes as President Donald Trump and lawmakers seek to parlay an extraordinary White House meeting into momentum for resolving a politically blistering issue.
Negotiators want to revive protections against deportation that Trump ended for nearly 800,000 immigrants who arrived illegally in the U.S. as children. In exchange, Trump and Republicans want toughened border protections and tightened restrictions on others trying to migrate to this country.
At a White House bargaining session Tuesday, Trump told nearly two dozen lawmakers that they were “not that far away from comprehensive immigration reform.”
Adding pressure: Republicans need Democratic votes by Jan. 19 to prevent a federal shutdown. Democrats have threatened to withhold those votes without an immigration agreement.