Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday said he had resurrected talks over an immigration reform proposal with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
Schumer's announcement comes as both President Obama and top Republicans have signaled a willingness to compromise and pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Schumer and Graham had worked on an immigration plan two years ago, but the proposal stalled.
"Sen. Graham and I have talked and we are resuming the talks that were broken off two years ago," Schumer said on "Meet the Press." "We had put together a comprehensive, detailed blueprint on immigration reform. It had the real potential for bipartisan support based on the theory that most Americans are for legal immigration but very much against illegal immigration."
The plan Graham and Schumer discussed would have tightened border security, created a path to citizenship for immigrants by requiring them to have clean police records and learn English, and discouraged employers from hiring undocumented workers.
Schumer said he and Graham were currently discussing immigration reform with their colleagues while they hammered out a proposal.
"Graham and I are talking to our colleagues about this right now, and I think we have a darn good chance using this blueprint to get something done this year," Schumer added. "The Republican Party has learned that being anti-illegal and anti-immigrant doesn't work for them politically and they know it."
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