Gang of Five? Bipartisan group of senators working to extend DACA before year's end

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DENVER – One of several measures under discussion to restore protections for Dreamers is being put together by a bipartisan group of senators, including several from the “Gang of Eight,” who want to have DACA restored before the end of the year, sources tell Denver7.

The new discussion involves pairing the Dream Act with some border security measures in an attempt to pass a bipartisan solution for the undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, three Senate aides told Denver7 in interviews this week.

President Donald Trump and his administration announced in early September it would be terminating DACA and called for Congress to come up with a new extension before March.

Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who were all part of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” that passed a comprehensive immigration reform package through the Senate in 2013, are leading the discussions, according to the three aides with knowledge of the discussions.

The three aides spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to candidly discuss details of the ongoing talks.

A spokesman for Flake confirmed the senator was working with Bennet.

“I can confirm that several weeks ago, Sens. Flake and Bennet formed a bipartisan group to advance a DACA solution,” Flake’s spokesman, Jason Samuels, told Denver7. He said he could not confirm who else were members of the group.

"There are a couple of issues we still need consensus on, but we're getting close on a number of them," Flake told POLITICO on Monday.

Two of the Senate aides also told Denver7 that Republican Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina were involved in the talks. Graham was also a member of the “Gang of Eight” and is the sponsor of this year’s version of the Dream Act.