WASHINGTON — Putting aside party differences, Senate Republicans and Democrats coalesced Thursday around compromise legislation that holds out the hope of citizenship to an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States unlawfully.
"We can no longer afford to delay reform," said Sens. John McCain and Edward M. Kennedy in a statement that capped weeks of struggle to find common ground.
President Bush said he was pleased with the developments and urged the Senate to pass legislation by week's end. The vote could come today.
But the emerging compromise drew fire from both ends of the political spectrum. Conservative Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, likened it to an amnesty bill that cleared Congress in 1986, while AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said it threatened to "drive millions of hard-working immigrants further into the shadows of American society, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation."
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the new bill isn't much different than the McCain-Kennedy bill he voted against in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"I don't think we've reached a compromise yet," Hatch said. "I want to be helpful, I want to be compassionate, but I am against amnesty, and some approaches, no matter how they try to disguise it, are just that. . . . Immigration reform starts at the border."
Hatch said he'd like to see approval of the DREAM Act, which he proposed to allow states to provide in-state tuition for undocumented students and to allow youths who were brought here by their parents to earn legal status through avenues such as higher education or military service.
However, Hatch said he wouldn't vote for a proposal only because it included the DREAM Act, which he calls a "children's act."
"We're a nation of laws, and the laws ought to be abided by," Hatch said. "We're also a nation of immigrants, but illegal immigration undermines the rule of law."
Still, after days of partisan, election-year rancor, an overnight breakthrough on the future of illegal immigrants propelled the Senate closer to passage of the most sweeping immigration legislation in two decades.
Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, said to address national security best, a bolstered border security should be combined with a guest-worker program.
"If you can document the farm workers and chambermaids . . . then it's easier to get tough on the drug dealers and the terrorists who might be trying to come in on that basis," Bennett said.
Bennett said immigration reform needs to consider the nation's rapidly changing economy in which fewer people are interested in low-skill jobs.
"We will always need a continuing and growing source of labor willing to start out their careers with these less-desirable jobs, and that's where the big gate comes in . . . and I think the Senate bill moves in that direction," Bennett said.
Last week, as hundreds of high school and junior high students walked out of class to protest the House's get-tough immigration bill, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano both signed a letter addressed to leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee that outlined a Western Governors' Association resolution on illegal immigration endorsed earlier this year.
"We are certainly watching the debate with interest and are anxious for an agreement that will address the concerns of states," said Mike Mower, Huntsman's spokes- man and chief of staff.
Activists on both sides of the immigration debate are planning demonstrations Sunday and Monday to coincide with others nationwide.
One thing the Senate compromise would do is present an optimistic attitude for those rallying for undocumented immigrant rights, said Michael Clara, spokesman for the Utah Hispanic/Latino Legislative Task Force.
"The path to citizenship is heartwarming," Clara said. "To me, in my lifetime, it's akin to the passing of the 13th Amendment that did away with slavery. We're changing the status of people in this country."
On the other side, Alex Segura, director of the Utah Minuteman Project and a candidate for the state House, said if anything, "I think we should have a bigger rally to say we don't think we should be hoodwinked into a quasi-amnesty.
"We still believe we need to take a closer look, not rush this through, and that's what they are doing," Segura said. "This time, if they rush through and attach this amnesty provision, many of them will pay the price at the poll."
In an indication of the complicated political forces at work, officials of both parties disagreed about which side had blinked. But they agreed that a decision to reduce the number of future temporary workers allowed into the country had broken a deadlock that threatened as late as Wednesday night to scuttle efforts to pass a bill. The change would limit temporary work permits to 325,000 a year, down from 400,000 in earlier versions of the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., characterized the developments as a "huge breakthrough." Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he was optimistic about final passage but cautioned, "We can't declare victory."
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "While it admittedly is not perfect, the choice we have to make is whether it is better than no bill, and the choice is decisive."
Conservatives unhappy with the deal voiced their concerns to Frist, while Democrats sought assurances that the agreement would not be undercut in any future compromise talks with the House. McCain told reporters that he and other members of the GOP were circulating a letter pledging to vote against any changes demanded by the House that "would destroy this very delicately crafted compromise."
The House has passed legislation limited to border security, but Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and other leaders have signaled their willingness in recent days to broaden the bill in compromise talks with the House.
Contributing: Lezlee Whiting
E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com