By Karin Brulliard
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 25, 2007

Legislation that would have offered a path to citizenship for illegal-immigrant high school graduates who entered the United States as children failed a key test vote in the Senate yesterday.

The measure, known as the Dream Act, would have given conditional legal status to illegal immigrants now younger than 30 who graduated from American high schools, came to the United States before they were 16 and have lived in the country for at least five years. They would be eligible for permanent residency after two years of college or military service. The measure failed after a 52 to 44 procedural vote, eight votes short of the 60 needed to begin debate.

The proposal was a last-ditch effort at new protections for illegal immigrants this year after the Senate could not reach a compromise on a broader overhaul of the nation's immigration laws this summer. It was included in that unsuccessful attempt at an overhaul, then was defeated last month as an amendment to a defense spending bill.

Its sponsor, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), resurrected it this week as stand-alone legislation. He argued that it was narrowly tailored to aid only young and ambitious immigrants who know no other country, and who would help the U.S. economy by paying more taxes.

"What crime did these children commit? They committed the crime of obeying their parents, following their parents to this country," Durbin said. "Give them a chance to prove themselves to this country."

Opponents denounced the bill as amnesty and argued that any legalization proposal must include enforcement measures.

"This or any other type of an amnesty bill would be a slap in the face of all of those who came in legally," said Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.).

Estimates of how many immigrants would benefit from the legislation vary. The pro-immigrant Immigration Policy Center released a report Tuesday that said 360,000 high school graduates would immediately qualify, and that 715,000 more undocumented children would be eligible if they graduate from high school and meet other requirements. Those figures match ones previously issued by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

The Center for Immigration Studies and Numbers USA, organizations that advocate lower levels of immigration, said the bill would put far more illegal immigrants on a path to permanent residency -- at least 2.1 million, according to the center -- and would eventually allow them to sponsor family members.

In a statement calling for more broad-based immigration reform, the White House expressed opposition to the Dream Act, calling it a "preferential path to citizenship for a special class of illegal aliens."