A group of House Republicans key in the immigration debate quietly went to the White House last week for an Oval Office meeting with PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP about a fix for DACA -- a program that prevented the deportation of children who came to the U.S. illegally through no fault of their own. House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul of Texas, Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho and Rep. Martha McSally of Arizona were all in attendance for the Dec. 19 meeting. It was a glove-touching session before the December break, sources told us.

Needless to say, the fix for DACA will be a huge congressional priority in the first quarter of 2018. We hear some Republicans want the GOP Congress to take up the issue in the first few weeks of January. Why? Republicans say doing it earlier allows them to handle the issue on their terms. If the GOP lets it slip close to Jan. 19, Republicans fear Democrats could use the government-funding deadline to extract more. Ideally, Republicans hope to get border security money in the package that fixes DACA. GIVE HIM CREDIT: The president is working the right channels, at the moment. ANOTHER PIECE: Democrats, who weren’t at this meeting, will also be crucial.

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