Appearing Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press," Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sounded an optimstic note about the prospects for a comprehensive immigration reform deal this year.

"Senator [Lindsey] Graham and I have talked, and we are resuming the talks that were broken off two years ago," he said. "We had put together a comprehensive detailed blueprint on immigration reform. It had the real potential for bipartisan support."

Schumer described the contours of the plan: close the borders, crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, clear the way for immigrants the country needs and a path to citizenship for undocumented people.

"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," he said. "The Republican Party has learned that being anti-immigrant doesn't work for them politically."