US Senators rescue immigration deal
Saturday, 16 June 2007
WASHINGTON, June 15 (AFP): Democratic and Republican leaders on Thursday agreed a deal to rescue a crippled overhaul of US immigration laws, which would offer a path to citizenship for 12 million illegal immigrants.
The bill, one of President George W Bush's last hopes for a signature domestic achievement in his second term, collapsed in the Senate last week, against stiff opposition from conservative Republicans.
"We met this evening with several of the Senators involved in the immigration bill negotiations," Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) and his Republican counterpart Senator Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) said in a joint statement.
"Based on that discussion, the immigration bill will return to the Senate floor after completion of the energy bill."
That timeline would mean the bill would be unlikely to return to the Senate before the end of next week at the earliest.
The deal was reached after hours of intense talks between senators who framed the original "grand bargain" to grant a path to legal status to illegal immigrants, strengthen border enforcement and initiate a low wage guest worker program.
The bill, one of President George W Bush's last hopes for a signature domestic achievement in his second term, collapsed in the Senate last week, against stiff opposition from conservative Republicans.
"We met this evening with several of the Senators involved in the immigration bill negotiations," Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) and his Republican counterpart Senator Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) said in a joint statement.
"Based on that discussion, the immigration bill will return to the Senate floor after completion of the energy bill."
That timeline would mean the bill would be unlikely to return to the Senate before the end of next week at the earliest.
The deal was reached after hours of intense talks between senators who framed the original "grand bargain" to grant a path to legal status to illegal immigrants, strengthen border enforcement and initiate a low wage guest worker program.