http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/04/2 ... bxnh9.html
Bush, Congress report progress on immigration reform bill
Apr 25 6:57 PM US/Eastern

President George W. Bush hailed progress made with members of the US Senate toward an overhaul of America's immigration laws, and said there were broad areas of agreement on a compromise bill.

"There is a common desire to have a bill that enforces the border, a bill that has interior enforcement," he said.



"In other words, a bill that will hold people to account for hiring somebody who is here illegally -- but a bill that also recognizes we must have a temporary worker program," said Bush.

The president said that the legislation envisioned by both sides "does not grant automatic amnesty to people, but ... says, somebody who is working here on a legal basis has the right to get in line to become a citizen."

He added: "I strongly believe that we have a chance to get an immigration bill that is comprehensive in nature to my desk before the end of this year."

US Senate leaders have said a vote on immigration reform legislation is likely by the end of May.

Enormous differences remain however, with immigration legislation passed in the House of Representatives in December that would criminalize illegal residents and construct a fence along a vast section of the southern US border.