Democratic lawmakers must come ready to fund the wall in full. The Department of Homeland Security estimates President Trump’s campaign promise of a border wall with Mexico will cost around $21.6 Billion to build. House Republicans are already funding small segments of the wall, but a more aggressive timeline and budget for the wall (especially with support from some Democrats) will give the president a political win he will have to seriously consider.

Second, Democrats must give the president the tools to enforce today’s immigration laws. Democrats won’t support defunding sanctuary cities, but they can reasonably support increasing the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, enforcing a nationwide e-verify, and increasing penalties for overstaying a visa. These are not huge issues with rank and file Democratic voters, so their political liability is limit on the downside.