Washington – Senate Republicans mustered enough support Thursday to move forward on a proposal to erect 700 miles of fence along the U.S-Mexican border.
The 71-28 vote, a few days before Congress leaves for the November elections, opens the way for a final Senate vote by Saturday in favor of the proposal.
But it was uncertain Thursday whether the House would have enough time to vote on the Senate changes and send the bill to President Bush before lawmakers depart Washington this weekend.
Bush’s signature would give Republicans one more border- security achievement to promote in a year when the House and Senate were unable to break an impasse on major immigration legislation.
The Senate approved an immigration bill that would provide some border security, create a pathway to legal status for many of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country and create a guest-worker program for new immigrant workers. Bush has backed similar proposals.
The House approved an enforcement-focused bill that included the fence and other tough measures aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, but no guest-worker or legal-status language, which House leaders and activists such as Colorado’s U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo have decried as amnesty for lawbreakers.
The two chambers have not been able to reconcile their visions of immigration reform. Instead of negotiating with their Senate counterparts, House members staged a lengthy series of field hearings around the country on immigration topics over the past several months.
Meanwhile, House leaders have offered pieces of their immigration bill as separate measures.
The House has passed the fence proposal as a separate bill, dictating where the fence should be built.
The Senate changed the legislation to allow border communities to have more input on where the fences are built.
Senators also softened some House language that gave the Homeland Security Department 18 months to prevent all illegal entries of people or contraband into the United States.
