SACRAMENTO BEE

May 22, 2007

Senate vote clears way for battle on immigration

By Dave Montgomery - McClatchy Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Monday agreed to consider a bill legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants after supporters won a critical test vote and then turned to face a barrage of amendments that could unravel the compromise measure.

The bill cleared its first parliamentary hurdle when the Senate voted 69-23 to begin at least two weeks of debate, giving the White House and a bipartisan coalition of senators an opening victory in their push to overhaul the nation's immigration system.

But the vote -- nine more than the required 60-vote "supermajority" -- marked only a wobbly starting point as critics in both parties readied dozens of amendments.

Senators quickly acknowledged they would be unable to finish work before leaving on a Memorial Day recess at the end of the week, a delay that could widen divisions as senators return home to face constituents. Debate will continue for another week after they return June 4.

"We shouldn't be in a hurry to finish this bill," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Members in both parties were readying several dozen amendments aimed at virtually every major feature in the bill. An early confrontation over a proposed guest-worker program is expected today when Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., tries to sharply reduce the number permitted into the program each year.

The guest-worker program, backed by the White House and a broad coalition of businesses, could bring in up to 600,000 workers a year to fill low-skilled jobs. Bingaman's amendment, identical to one the Senate approved 79-18 last year, would reduce the cap to 200,000, a level business groups say is woefully inadequate to meet a chronic labor shortage.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., hopes to dismantle the guest-worker program entirely, saying it would take away jobs from U.S. workers and exacerbate hardships in economically distressed areas.

In contrast, pro-immigration groups and Latinos want to recast the temporary worker program to enable participants to get on track for citizenship instead of returning to their home countries when their visas expire.

The multifaceted bill has come under fire from all over the political spectrum since it was unveiled last week by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House after three months of negotiations. Supporters say the bill is the essence of compromise, offering something for everyone but satisfying no one completely.

"The answers are not simple or easy," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who led the negotiating team. "There are strong views on every side of this question because the issue goes to the heart of who we are as a nation and an American people."

"This is a problem that begs for an answer," said Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., a Cuban immigrant who participated in the negotiations. "We are at the threshold of a tremendous opportunity."