WASHINGTON – Senate leaders agreed Monday that they would wait until June to take final action on a bipartisan plan to give millions of unlawful immigrants legal status.
The measure, which also tightens border security and workplace enforcement measures, has White House backing, but it has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. In a nod to that opposition, Senate leaders won’t seek to complete it before a hoped-for Memorial Day deadline.
“It would be to the best interests of the Senate … that we not try to finish this bill this week,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., as the chamber began debate on the volatile issue. “I think we could, but I’m afraid the conclusion wouldn’t be anything that anyone wanted.”
The bipartisan compromise cleared its first hurdle Monday with a bipartisan Senate vote, 69-23, to begin debate on a separate immigration measure. Still, it faces significant obstacles as lawmakers seek dozens of modifications to its key elements.
Several conservatives – and some liberals – made it clear that they cast a vote to proceed only to fundamentally change the proposed legislation in the coming days.
Senate leadership aides said the proposal could probably muster the support of about 30 Republicans and 30 Democrats – just enough to beat a filibuster, which was all but promised Monday by conservatives.
Republicans want to make the bill tougher on the nation’s estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. Democrats want to change a new temporary worker program and reorder priorities in a merit-based system for future immigration that weights employability over family ties.
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