U.S. immigration compromise survives first bout

By Donna Smith

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fragile immigration pact in the U.S. Senate withstood its first major test on Tuesday as lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected a Democratic effort to torpedo the guest worker program that has drawn fire from unions and Hispanic groups.

The Senate voted 64-31 against the first of what is expected to be many challenges to the bipartisan deal that ties tough border security and work place enforcement measures to the guest worker program and a plan to legalize an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

The opening salvo came in an amendment by Democratic Sens. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Barbara Boxer of California who said the program would create an underclass of cheap laborers with few rights.

"This is a cave in for the big economic interests that want to import more cheap labor into our work force," Dorgan said of the plan to let at least 400,000 temporary work visas each year.

The amendment would have stripped the guest worker program from the broad immigration legislation being debated by the U.S. Senate. Others also plan amendments aimed at limiting the program that businesses say is needed to fill jobs Americans cannot or will not do.

The compromise brokered between the White House and a bipartisan group of senators has already drawn criticism from many quarters and its fate in the Senate is uncertain with debate now expected to last weeks, not days as originally envisioned.

Conservative Republicans also oppose the legalization program saying it rewards people who broke U.S. laws.

The bill also been criticized for placing new limits on family-based immigration and creating a point system for future immigrants.

In the face of mounting opposition, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, put off a final Senate vote on the bill until June after lawmakers return from a break next week for Memorial Day.

Supporters say the influx of millions of illegal workers has depressed wages and the temporary worker program includes wage protections for workers while creating a legal way for employers to meet their needs.

But unions want to include a way for guest workers to become permanent residents. An immigration bill passed by the Senate last year but never considered by the U.S. House of Representatives included a path to citizenship for guest workers.