GOP moderates make tentative Dreamers deal

A leader of House Republican moderates said Thursday that a tentative deal with conservatives is being discussed to help young “Dreamer” immigrants stay in the U.S. legally. It was unclear if the offer was a potential breakthrough in the GOP’s long-running schism over immigration or would devolve into another failed bid to bridge that gap.

The proposal emerged the same day that House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said leaders will craft an attempt at compromise on the issue that Republicans could embrace. Ryan is hoping an accord will derail threats by GOP centrists to force a series of House votes on immigration soon that leaders say would be divisive and damage the party’s electoral prospects in November.

Rep. Jeff Denham, RCalif., said that under an offer from the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, young immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children could get a new visa that would let them stay in the country for eight years. He expressed uncertainty over what would happen after that, but said participants have characterized the proposal as a bridge to the legal immigration system — which suggests a pathway to remaining in the U.S. permanently.

Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., Denham’s fellow moderate leader, said that while talks have focused on providing legal status to Dreamers, the proposal “does not involve a special pathway nor a visa unique to any specific group.” Conservatives have been adamant about not providing a “special” process carving out a unique way for Dreamers to gain legal status, and some of them bristled at Denham’s narrower description.

Denham, Curbelo and other lawmakers said details of the proposal remained in flux and nothing has been finalized.