United States

Jeff Flake: ‘Can Get Something Done' on Immigration This Week

If immigration legislation does make its way through the Senate, its future in the House is very uncertain

At least one senator is optimistic about what could happen this week when lawmakers gather to debate and vote on immigration reform.

“I do think that we can get something done this week,” said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., one of several members of Congress who has been trying to negotiate a broad immigration compromise. “We're going to have something in the Senate that we haven't had in a while. It's a real debate on an issue where we really don't know what the outcome is going to be."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to offer up a bill to the floor to ignite a free-flowing amendment process, where different senators will have the opportunity to offer immigration proposals and hope they clear the 60-vote threshold to pass. The key sticking point is the fate of so-called "Dreamers," the children of undocumented immigrants brought into the country without authorization.

Flake, appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, reiterated that even if some form of immigration legislation does not make it through this week, “these Dreamers need to be protected." If immigration legislation does make its way through the Senate, its future in the House is very uncertain.

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