Rep. Martha McSally said Tuesday that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed to narrow the debate topics on immigration reform to streamline the process.
“We’ve left with a broad agreement of narrowing the topics for the negotiations that will continue on four areas. The first is DACA, the second is border security, the third is chain migration and the fourth is the VISA lottery system,” Ms. McSally, Arizona Republican, said on Fox News.
She attended the bipartisan meeting with President Trump and congressional members Tuesday at the White House. The discussion was broad, but Ms. McSally said they prioritized those issues that need immediate resolution.
“We’re going to move forward as early as tomorrow with subsequent meetings to negotiate the details of each of those areas,” she said.
Ms. McSally, who is from a district on the U.S.-Mexico border, is widely rumored to be running for the open Senate seat in her state.
Arguably the most pressing issue is DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, since protections for those recipients is set to expire in March, but Republicans said they were not willing to address this issue without some form of border security added.
The DACA program allowed those brought to the U.S. illegally as children to remain in the country. Mr. Trump announced the end of the Obama-era policy last fall, but he urged Congress to find a resolution.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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