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Immigrant Legislation Splits GOP
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"It is completely within the control of the Democratic leadership whether this bill passes or not," said this official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss strategy.
The danger for the White House is that any change in the delicately crafted compromise could cause the whole deal to collapse. The administration has already angered traditional allies in the business community with the concessions aimed at mollifying conservative senators.
Employers do not want a guest-worker program that would offer work visas for only two years at a time. The visas could be renewed up to three times, but workers would have to leave the country for a year between renewals. Business groups said such interruptions would defeat the purpose of the program, which is to attract and retain a stable workforce in industries in which U.S. workers are scarce.
Meanwhile, most Republican candidates for president besides McCain strongly condemned the deal. Former senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee, who is mulling a White House bid, urged Congress to "scrap this bill and the whole debate until we can convince the American people that we have secured the borders or at least have made great headway." Former House speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, who also may run, called the arrangement a "disastrous bill" and said the upcoming Senate vote would be a "defining moment" for the Republican party.
"I can't imagine anybody running for president being nominated if they support this bill," Gingrich said in an interview.
Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has been an outspoken immigration advocate, speaking frequently to pro-immigration groups and opposing federal measures to crack down on illegal immigration. But a statement from his communications director offered no endorsement of the new bill and stressed the security implications of immigration: "Rudy's top priority and main objective is to ensure our borders are secure and to stop potential terrorists and criminals from coming in."
Staff writers Jonathan Weisman, Spencer S. Hsu and Michael D. Shear and washingtonpost.com staff writer Paul Kane contributed to this report.
