WASHINGTON — Although President Donald Trump is working on a deal with Democrats, the fate of about 800,000 immigrants who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children remains unclear.

Democrats and Republicans, as well as advocacy groups, remained deeply divided, leaving uncertain the prospects of reaching a deal to allow those under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to stay in the country.

Immigration hardliners like Republican congressmen Lou Barletta, of Pennsylvania, and Indiana’s Luke Messer and Todd Rokita said they’d only support a deal if it created more stringent immigration policies.

Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., said any deal to protect DACA recipients from being deported should include his proposal to restrict the number of people allowed to immigrate to the U.S. legally.

Democrats, though, have opposed such policies, and United We Stand, a group advocating for the young immigrants, continued to push for letting DACA recipients have a way to become citizens.

Meanwhile, talk of a deal could put hardliners like Barletta in the difficult position of deciding whether to support a deal struck by a president who won his state, even if it incurs the wrath of conservatives opposed to any compromise over DACA recipients.

The lawmakers’ comments came amid confusion after Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said they’d reached a deal with Trump at the White House Wednesday night that would allow DACA recipients to remain in the country.

Pelosi at her weekly press conference Thursday clarified Democrats had not reached agreement with Trump on a proposal. She said Trump had agreed only to work to find a way to help the immigrants without requiring Democrats to support the wall he has promised to build along the Mexican border.

Pelosi also said they had discussed with Trump a bill that would allow DACA recipients to eventually become citizens.

But after there was immediate backlash — including a headline on the conservative news site, Breitbart, “Amnesty Don,” Trump said Thursday he was not backing off on the proposed wall.

Speaking to reporters on a trip to visit Hurricane Irma survivors in Naples, Florida, Trump said funding the wall did not have to be part of a DACA deal, but he expected Democrats to pledge not to obstruct the wall’s construction.

He also told reporters, “We’re not looking at citizenship. We’re not looking at amnesty. We’re looking at allowing people to stay here.”

Trump, who has gone back and forth on the issue, threw the fate of DACA recipients into uncertainty last week, when he announced the program would end in March but challenged Congress to find a solution over the issue.

Thursday morning, he expressed sympathy for the immigrants on Twitter: “Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!”

But noting the partisan differences, Jessica Vaughan, policy director for the Center for Immigration Studies, said Thursday, “It’s not clear where all this is headed.”

The group has pushed for stronger immigration policies including barring funding to so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to help immigration agents detain and deport undocumented immigrants.

In an interview, on Tuesday, Barletta, who came to prominence pushing anti-illegal immigration policies as mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, opposed proposals by Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and other Democrats to simply enact guarantees to let DACA recipients to stay.

Simply allowing 800,000 DACA recipients to remain in the country would put them in competition with American workers for jobs, said Barletta, who is vying to challenge Casey next year.

“Sen. Casey and Democrats are fighting for illegal immigrants. But what about American families and American workers. Who’s fighting for them?” said Barletta, who is hoping to capitalize on the anti-illegal immigration sentiment that allowed Trump to win the state.

However, Barletta said he could support allowing DACA recipients to stay as part of a package to reduce the number of other undocumented immigrants competing for jobs.

Barletta backed the construction of the wall, cracking down on those who overstay their visas and penalizing sanctuary cities.

On Thursday, campaign spokesman Jon Anzur said Barletta’s position “has not changed. We need to stop illegal immigration before having a conversation about DACA.”

A Perdue spokeswoman said any DACA deal should include a proposal he is co-sponsoring with Arkansas, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton. The measure, endorsed by Trump, would no longer allow extended family like cousins and siblings to immigrate to the U.S. based on their ties to Americans.

In addition to stronger policies, Vaughan said her group could also push to protect only those DACA recipients already in the country.

“Both sides might have to reign in their expectations,” she said of reaching a deal.

But asked about Perdue’s bill, Pelosi said Democrats were not interested in a comprehensive immigration measure, but one focused on the DACA issue.

American Voice, a group pushing to let DACA recipients become citizens, said it would oppose any “additional, unnecessary trade offs” or using DACA recipients as “bargaining chips to pit groups of immigrants against each other.”

Barletta’s comments came despite national polls showing support for DACA recipients. One by POLITICO/Morning Consult this week showed 73 percent national support for allowing the immigrants to stay in the country.

While it’s unclear what kind of tougher policies Trump wants, Barletta might find himself having to back  a deal criticized by conservatives, or bucking a president that won the state in last fall’s elections.

That could put Barletta in an “awkward spot,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman Max Steele.

“I think the GOP base is split between people who are immigration hardliners and thought Trump would be their guy on this versus people who just love Trump and will back him no matter what,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Either way he will be in direct conflict with a decent chunk of the GOP base. “

In Indiana, Rokita said in a statement he is “confident that President Trump will stand strong for a border wall before anything is done to address illegal immigrants already in the country.”

Rokita said he backs “building the wall, cracking down on sanctuary cities and deporting violent criminals.”

“Any DACA legislation must be tied to serious border security measures that stop the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders, and prevent this from happening again,” Messer said in a statement.

West Virginia Republican congressman Evan Jenkins, who is vying to challenge Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, had backed Trump’s decision to end the program, saying he was “firmly opposed to amnesty and am committed to ensuring our nation’s immigration policies are constitutional and lawful.”

A statement on Thursday said Jenkins backs securing the nation’s borders and supported funding the wall. On any DACA deal, Jenkins said he “will examine any legislation brought before Congress to ensure it is in our state and nation’s best interests.”

Contact Washington reporter Kery Murakami at kmurakami@cnhi.com