Immigration bill falters in Senate

By Donna Smith

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A plan to overhaul U.S. immigration
law and give millions of illegal immigrants a chance for
citizenship stalled on Friday in a sharply divided Senate, but
the bill’s backers vowed to keep trying.

“This fight is not over,” said Sen. John McCain, an Arizona
Republican, who just 24 hours earlier helped broker a
bipartisan compromise that seemed to have majority support.

The bill would have created a temporary worker program, as
proposed by President George W. Bush, and opened the way for
over 7 million illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens in
the biggest reform of immigration in two decades.

But a test vote on the measure and another on a rival bill
dealing with border security both failed to gain sufficient
support, showing how difficult it will be to enact any
immigration bill in a bitter congressional election year.

Leaders from both parties had agreed to the compromise on
Thursday and predicted wide approval for the bill over the
opposition of some Republicans who called it an amnesty for
immigrants who illegally entered the country.

But the measure was shelved amid partisan bickering over
amendments, with Democrats saying they were worried that
Republicans would try to “gut” the bill.

Backers of the compromise fell 22 votes short of the 60
needed in the 100-member Senate to overcome procedural hurdles
and move the bill forward. In the second test vote, a border
security and enforcement measure sponsored by Senate Republican
Leader Bill Frist also fell far short.

The votes reflected more the acrimony in the divided Senate
than actual support for the legislation. Backers of the
compromise say it ultimately could win as many as 70 votes.

“We don’t intend to give up or give in,” said Sen. Edward
Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat who worked along with McCain
to fashion the compromise bill.

Bush says he backs a comprehensive approach and the White
House blamed Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada for
blocking amendments and the impasse.

“We call on the Senate minority leader to stop blocking
this process from moving forward so that we can get
comprehensive immigration reform passed,” said spokesman Scott
McClellan.

Reid said he was trying to protect the bipartisan bill from
Republican opponents who “hoped to kill it by amendment.”

PROBLEM TOO BIG TO IGNORE

The Senate action complicates and could ultimately doom
efforts to pass comprehensive reform before the November
mid-term elections.

In addition, any Senate bill would have to be merged with a
much more stringent House of Representatives bill that stresses
border security and defines all of the estimated 12 million
illegal immigrants in the country as felons.

Frist, who had embraced the bipartisan compromise, said it
was not doomed. He pledged to try to revive it after lawmakers
return from a two-week break that starts this weekend.

“It’s too big of a problem,” said Frist. “Our borders and
interior enforcement absolutely require that we address it. …
So we will come back and address it.”

The congressional debate has provoked large protests by
Hispanics in many U.S. cities against the House bill. More
demonstrations are planned in 10 cities on Monday.

The compromise bill would divide illegal immigrants into
three groups. The more than 7 million who have lived in the
country for five years or more would get a chance to earn U.S.
citizenship by paying a fine, paying taxes, learning English
and meeting some other requirements.

About 3 million who had been in the United States less than
five but more than two years could apply for work visas, but
would have to travel to U.S. port of entry to pick them up.

Those in the country for less than two years, roughly 1.5
million, would have to leave and apply to return.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro, Richard Cowan)