A landmark immigration bill survived a major challenge in the Senate on Thursday when its bipartisan "Gang of Eight" sponsors beat back an amendment that would have delayed a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal residents. The proposal by Iowa Republican Charles Grassley would have prohibited a first step toward granting them legal status until the US Department of Homeland Security "has maintained effective control" of the entire US-Mexico border - 1,969 miles (3,170 km) - for a period of six months.
Critics charged it could take years to achieve such a nebulous goal, undermining a centerpiece of the effort to overhaul and fix the immigration system. It was the first test of unity and clout in the full Senate for the "Gang of Eight" - four Democrats and four Republicans - as they protected what they see as a pillar of their measure: a provision that would quickly make undocumented immigrants legal residents.
Grassley said the defeat of his amendment, 57-43, broke a promise by President Barack Obama's Democrats to permit an "open debate." Democrats forced a vote after little discussion. "This type of obstruction is the wrong way to start the amendment process," said Grassley. Later Thursday, five Senate Democrats were set to meet with Obama to discuss strategy, including how to meet Republican demands to bolster border security.
The five include the four Democrats in the "Gang of Eight" - Dick Durbin of Illinois, Charles Schumer of New York, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado. Also invited was Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, who shepherded the bill through his panel last month and is now charged with getting it through the full Senate.
Separately, another group of senators quietly sought to negotiate a deal to toughen border security without offending the coalition of senators now supporting the bill. Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, who is part of the Group of Eight, told Reuters he was uncertain if progress had been made.
"We have to get a certain number of people that would agree to a plan that we could achieve 90-percent effective control of the border," McCain said. "We think it's possible but I'm not predicting. Technology is one of the ways we get there." Assistant Senate Republican Leader John Cornyn of Texas, who has an amendment of his own that seeks 90-percent "effective border control" before any legalisation of undocumented workers, said he has seen no progress in finding a compromise.
But Cornyn added: "I'm happy to listen and in the process, talk to my colleagues." Backers of the nearly 900-page bill are aiming for a vote on passage by the end of this month, confident that it will prevail. The measure would then go to the Republican-led House of Representatives for what promises to be a tougher test. The bill would allow those living in the United States illegally to apply for legal status within six months of enactment. Democrats and some Republicans have made this provision a core element, and bipartisan support is considered essential for passage of the bill.