Immigration bill survives challenge

By Donna Smith

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the Senate headed for a showdown vote on immigration, backers of a fragile compromise thwarted what they said was an effort to gut a provision to legalize millions of illegal immigrants and torpedo the bill.

The Senate defeated an amendment by Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, that would have barred large numbers of illegal immigrants from taking advantage of the proposed legalization program.

The measure would have excluded anyone who used false documents, ignored deportation orders or committed other crimes from gaining legal status.

Cornyn said the measure would ensure respect for U.S. laws, but opponents argued the amendment was too broad and would have gutted the legalization program and threatened the delicate compromise brokered by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House.

"This amendment would exclude hundreds of thousands from benefits in this bill and undermine the bipartisan compromise that members of this body worked so long and so hard to produce," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat who help negotiate the measure.

The Senate adopted a less-sweeping alternative offered by Kennedy that expanded the types of crimes, such as drug trafficking, sex offenses and gang activity, that would exclude immigrants from the legalization program. Those whose transgressions were associated with getting a job would still be eligible for legalization.

CRUCIAL VOTE SET

The bill ties tough border security and workplace enforcement measures to a guest-worker program and a plan to legalize an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

It has come under attack from the right and left, with conservatives arguing it will give amnesty to people who broke U.S. laws and unions saying the temporary worker program will create an underclass of cheap laborers.

The Senate also beat back an amendment that would have dramatically altered the guest-worker program and undermined the compromise.

Backers say the bill will allow the government to get a grip on who is living in the United States and help fix the broken immigration system.

The bill's supporters are battling to hold the delicate compromise together against a storm of amendments. Dozens have been drafted, prompting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, to set a vote on Thursday on a motion to limit debate. The move angered Republicans who want more time to offer amendments, and they have threatened to block the motion.

"It's premature to close off debate and limit amendments," Cornyn said.

Reid said if he failed to get the 60 votes needed in the 100-member chamber to advance the legislation, the bill would be dropped and the Senate would move on to other matters.

"It would be outrageous to pull this bill," Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, said.