The Latest: Trump talks immigration with GOP senators

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and discussions with lawmakers about immigration (all times local):

12:03 p.m.

President Donald Trump says that so-called chain migration provides "a gateway for terrorism." He made the comment as he sat down Thursday with Republican senators to talk about immigration.

Lawmakers have been trying to hammer out a deal on how to extend legal status for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children after Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program last year.

Trump says any deal would need to include funding for his border wall, more money for immigration enforcement, an overhaul of the family-based immigration system and an end to the diversity visa lottery.

Trump says he would "love to take care of DACA, but we're only going to do it under these conditions."

Trump also says he hopes the overhaul will attract Democratic support.

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10:53 a.m.

Immigration is the focus for President Donald Trump's meeting with some Republican senators as he pushes his overhaul plan.

Trump wants to shift from a family-based immigration system to one based on merit, as part of any deal to extend legal status for young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program last year. He set a March deadline for Congress to act.

A White House spokesman, Hogan Gidley, says an updated approach to immigration should "serve the needs of American workers, families and taxpayers."

The senators expected at Thursday's meeting are John Cornyn of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.