(KUTV) - Representative John Curtis and dozens of other Republicans including members of the Utah congressional delegation, met with the president today to discuss the growing crisis along the border. Since April, the Trump administration has enacted a zero tolerance policy for people coming over the southern border illegally. Attorney General Jeff Sessions signed a directive ordering agents to immediately treat people as if they have illegally entered the country even if they are seeking asylum. The effect of this new policy means children who accompany their parents have been separated from them and taken into detention centers. In past presidential administrations, families were allowed to stay together while their immigration status was sorted out by the courts. Trump’s policy is a dramatic departure from past actions. “I felt it was very positive,” says Curtis of the meeting with the president. “The president’s message was very positive, it was a very upbeat kind of, we can do this type of attitude." Republicans will consider two bills that could deal with, not only the separation issue, but also with DACA and the possibility of constructing the “wall.” Curtis says Congress has an opportunity to act and says the onus of the current crisis falls, not only on the president’s shoulders, but on he and his colleagues as well, “congress has to take a lot of the blame and lot of responsibility for the situation and I feel fortunate that we have bill(s) in front of us that deal with children and the separation issues,” says Curtis. When asked if the president is in part culpable for the burgeoning crisis, the congressman admitted the president has made it worse. “Certainly he's exasperated it, there’s no question about that but I’ll come back to, this Congress holds the keys here we need to take that responsibility,” says Curtis. Curtis says although the president discussed the bills on the table, he did not focus on the separation issue specifically. Curtis says if the issue is addressed it will have to be done as part of a larger immigration bill, “I’m not sure that that was the goal of the meeting. I think the president intent was to come and tell us he was supportive of what we were considering and to encourage us to get something in front of him that would deal with the separation issue.” Curtis says the congress could vote on the bills as early as this week, “you know I'll speak to congress’s role: We have a unique opportunity in front of us as congress, to pass a bill that does give him [Trump] tools that he's asked for to end it [separation of families].”