He wants a fix enacted this year, and most Senate Democrats, Durbin said, agree with him.
"They all feel as I do,” he said. “They want it done this year. And that's our goal so we'll keep working at it."
But some of the Republicans involved in those negotiations are much less optimistic that a deal can be enacted this year.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) was part of a group of GOP senators –– led by Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) — who huddledTuesday night in search of a DACA agreement.
Tillis said the discussions will continue, but doubted the appetite of GOP leaders to move on the issue immediately.
"I think it's unrealistic for a couple of reasons,” he said. “Mechanically, it may be difficult to do, [and] we now hear that there is a very strong sentiment against putting this in the year-end bill on the House side .... and I think similarly on the Senate side."
Some Democrats have argued that delaying DACA until January would be worth the price if the Democrats were able to lock down some of their other priorities this month, since they would have similar — if not more — leverage ahead of next month’s omnibus debate.
But the immigration reformers say too much is at stake, both politically and practically, to delay any further. One group has been distributing buttons to lawmakers this week bearing the number 122, a reference to the estimated number of Dreamers who lose their legal protections each day that Congress fails to act.
"At a rate of 122 DACA recipients losing protections a day … kicking the can down the road any further does not maintain the status quo," said Tom Jawetz, a vice president of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, which is distributing the buttons.
"I would not consider kicking the can down the road an acceptable result," he added.
Gutierrez also offered a political warning to fellow Democrats who want to delay action.
“For those who say we can wait, tell that to the thousands of Dreamers who will lose their work permit, who won’t be able to enter into a classroom, who won’t be able to enter into a hospital, who have to shutter their businesses,” Gutierrez said.
“Latinos are so used to hearing, ‘mañana,’ that that’s all they’re going to hear,” he added.
“They’re going to hear, ‘mañana.’
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/36...r-for-dreamers