Senate immigration bill on track after vote

By Donna Smith

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Backers of a comprehensive
immigration overhaul said they were optimistic about Senate
passage later this week after lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a
move to expand a compromise bill’s provision giving illegal
immigrants a chance for citizenship.

In a vote of 37-61, the Senate rejected an amendment
offered by Sen. Dianne Feinstein that the California Democrat
said would have streamlined the legalization process for some
of the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants.

The vote showed the fragile coalition backing the
compromise bipartisan immigration bill is holding together,
increasing chances the measure will clear the Senate by the end
of the week.

“I am very optimistic,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South
Carolina Republican.

Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican, said he expected a
“sizable” majority in favor of the bill when the Senate votes
on it later this week.

Feinstein would have created a new visa for illegal
immigrants living in the United States before January 1, 2006.
They would have been able to work in the country for six years
and then apply for a green-card visa that gives them permanent
residence and puts them on a path to citizenship.

Some lawmakers who supported the Feinstein approach ended
up voting against it in order to preserve the underlying
bipartisan compromise.

The compromise bill creates a three-tiered approach to
addressing illegal immigrants. Those who have been in the
United States for more than five years are given a path to
citizenship, those in the United States between two and five
years would have to step outside the country to get a temporary
work permit, and those who have been in the country less than
two years would have to leave.

The Senate bill couples border security and enforcement
measures with a guest-worker program and the plan to put
millions of illegal immigrants on a path to U.S. citizenship.
President Bush has said he supports an approach similar to the
Senate bill.

But even after the bill passes the Senate, backers face
tough negotiations with the U.S. House of Representatives,
where a sizable number of Republicans oppose the Senate
approach and say it is an amnesty that rewards people who broke
U.S. law.

The House passed a tough border-security and
enforcement-only bill that has drawn protests around the
country from Hispanic groups and their supporters. The Senate
and House bills would have to be merged in a conference between
the two bodies.

Despite the difficult road ahead, backers said producing a
bill before the November congressional elections is crucial for
Republicans if they hope to keep majority control.

“It’s key,” said Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican.
“That is going to be our tough task, getting it to conference
and out of conference.”

“Putting this past the November elections would be a
mistake,” Graham said.