Bickering Marks Immigration Debate

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. speaks during a news conference on immigration reform, Tuesday, June 5, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh - AP)

WASHINGTON -- The Senate debate over a broad immigration compromise degenerated into bitter partisanship Tuesday, with Republicans and Democrats accusing each other of trying to squander its chances of passing.

"People are looking for excuses on the Republican side to kill this bill," said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., hours before moving to force a test vote Thursday on the complex and contentious measure to speed its passage.

The move ran into swift and forceful opposition from Republicans who said Democrats were squelching debate.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., an architect of the bipartisan legislation, called it "an extreme act of bad faith" and said Reid's move would "risk the bill not passing at all."

The sniping threatened to scuttle a bipartisan measure that's facing numerous challenges from the right and left.

Key senators, including Kyl and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., worked behind the scenes to protect what they call their "grand bargain." It would legalize an estimated 12 million unlawful immigrants while tightening border security and instituting new worksite enforcement measures to bar the hiring of illegal workers.

The bill also creates a controversial guest worker program and a new point system for evaluating future immigrants based on their employability rather than family ties to U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

"The wheels are still very much on this bus," said Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., one of the dozen lawmakers who crafted the bill and are struggling to shepherd it through the unruly Senate.

Reid's tactic reflected both the intense pressure on lawmakers to push through an immigration measure _ a top domestic priority for President Bush _ and the difficult dilemma the issue poses for lawmakers in both parties. The bill is widely regarded as the best chance for Congress to enact an immigration overhaul, possibly for years to come.

Forcing a vote later this week could spell defeat for the bill, but it could also ratchet up pressure for the bipartisan coalition to reach a quick deal that would enhance its chances of passing.

"We are strongly committed. Our alliance is strong," Kennedy said. "We know that we are facing some challenging issues."

Proponents were bracing for a close vote Wednesday on an effort by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to bar illegal immigrants already under court order for deportation from gaining legal status. Democrats were hoping to siphon support from the amendment by offering their own, more limited version that would only cut off those who were convicted felons, including gang members and sex offenders.