Senate passes sweeping immigration bill
By Donna Smith
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed an immigration overhaul that would give millions of illegal immigrants a chance to become American citizens, as backers braced for a bruising battle with the House of Representatives.
The Senate voted 62-36 for the bipartisan bill that couples border security and enforcement with a guest worker program and a plan that would put most of the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants on a path to U.S. citizenship.
It is the most sweeping immigration bill in two decades and has to be merged with a vastly different House bill that calls for tough border security and enforcement measures. President George W. Bush has said he supports a comprehensive approach to immigration reform along the lines passed by the Senate.
But it is unclear lawmakers will be able to work out the differences before the November congressional elections. Republican opponents said they would try to rewrite the bill.
Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting record) said some Senate opponents will be part of the upcoming negotiations and will "have the ability to craft something, in effect from scratch."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060525/pl_nm/usa_immigration_dc_12