He noted: “This is the most difficult — the most interconnected piece of American law. Immigration law is complicated. It’s Byzantine. It’s interconnected.”
All the principal negotiators cited progress in the talks following the Saturday morning meeting, though they declined to discuss specifics. They said they would plan to work through the weekend.
They later gathered for a little less than an hour in the afternoon while their staffs huddled in a nearby room. Staff work will continue throughout the day but senators won’t meet again until Sunday afternoon, according to Lankford.
Multiple negotiators stressed the drafting of the text is complex and detailed, and that they would need time for individual and party-wide conversations before a vote.
“We really are making progress but it really is incredibly technical and slow,” Lankford said. “We’ll need to have some kind of framework [by the end of the weekend] … Obviously, everyone’s waiting to be able to hear where things really are and what’s really happening.”
Murphy later agreed with Lankford’s assertion they would need a workable framework by the end of the weekend.
“Realistically in order to vote this week, yeah,” he said. “You can’t have outstanding issues on Monday if you’re going to be voting on Wednesday or Thursday.”
Added Lankford: “People cannot get it one night and vote on the next day. People need time to be able to go through it because, again, it’s very complex.”
Negotiators began their initial talks around 10 a.m. and exited the room just off the Senate floor around noon. The senators wore jeans and more casual outfits for the weekend work.
Sinema described herself as “really happy” to reporters following the meeting and said: “This is the most difficult part of American law in terms of complexity, but we’re making really good progress and folks in the room are working collaboratively to try and find workable, pragmatic solutions.”
Mayorkas, who did not attend the second meeting, did not respond to shouted questions as he left.
It’s the latest series of meetings even as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent the chamber home for the weekend, while ordering lawmakers to return early next week. He’s vowed to hold a vote on the supplemental international aid package before breaking for the holidays.
The quest for a deal on border security, one of the thorniest domestic political issues, continues in the aftermath of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest personal plea last week for aid amid his country’s ongoing war with Russia.