Chuck Schumer tells McConnell an immigration deal 'won't be easy'

Thomas Novelly | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Sen. Chuck Schumer says immigration won't be easy Sen. Chuck Schumer said immigration won't be easy during remarks at the McConnell Center in Louisville.

LOUISVILLE — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in Louisville on Monday that a compromise on immigration "won't be easy."

"Democrats and Republicans are laboring to find a bill to protect the DREAMers and provide border security, and garner 60 votes," said Schumer, who was taking part in the McConnell Center Distinguished Speaker Series at the University of Louisville. "It won't be easy, but we're all going to try because of the gravity of the issues at stake."

Schumer was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for whom the center is named. The two previously struck a deal that included taking up DREAMer legislation to end a stalemate that caused the government to shut down.

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While the discussion at the McConnell Center was filled primarily with pleasantries — Schumer called the Kentucky Republican his "friend" numerous times — the minority leader also acknowledged that the Senate faces a complicated week, including the immigration issue.

McConnell has promised a free-flowing bipartisan debate on DREAMers, border security and other issues beginning Monday. He also has said the debate will be "a process that is fair to all sides."

"DREAMers" refers to immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. They had received temporary protection from deportation and permission to legally work under President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. But President Trump ended the program in September and gave Congress a March 5 deadline to address their status.

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The policy protected 800,000 young immigrants across the nation.

Now Democrats and Republicans are wrestling to come up with solutions.

Trump has said he won’t sign immigration legislation unless it addresses “four pillars”: legal protections for DREAMers; money for border security and a wall; changes to family-based or “chain” migration; and an end to the diversity visa lottery program.

"President Trump has actually said to me a whole bunch of times 'I'd like to do comprehensive immigration reform,'" Schumer said in Louisville. "Maybe, maybe, maybe, who knows, if we get past this DREAMers issue successfully we might be able to go back to that."

Contributing: USA TODAY. Follow Thomas Novelly on Twitter: @TomNovelly