Sens. McCain and Graham to meet with Obama for talks on immigration

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will meet with President Obama at the White House on Tuesday to discuss immigration, congressional aides confirmed to The Hill.

McCain and Graham are both members of a bipartisan group of eight senators that in January unveiled a framework for immigration reform legislation.

Obama invited the senators, according to a GOP aide.

It is unclear if any other members of the group will be attending the meeting.

Other offices for members of the group either did not immediately confirm plans to attend the meeting or said that their bosses were not scheduled to huddle with Graham, McCain and Obama.

Besides McCain and Graham, Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) are members of the group.

McCain first announced the meeting on Friday. He noted that Obama has supported the group’s efforts to reach a deal.

McCain said the group has yet to reach a deal on specific immigration legislation, but told the Associated Press on Friday he was optimistic an agreement could be reached by the end of March.

"I am guardedly optimistic that we could by the end of the next month," McCain said, according to the Associated Press. "There's still a number of agreements that need to be made before I can assure you that we will have a resolution."

In another sign of Obama’s engagement with the group, the president called McCain, Graham and Rubio last week to apologize for the leak of a White House draft bill.

Republicans had criticized the White House over the leak, arguing it risked setting back their efforts.

Obama met with the four Democratic members of the Gang of Eight in mid-February.

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