Dole vote could doom immigration bill

Barbara Barrett, Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole made a midnight move late Wednesday to kill the delicate immigration deal teetering in the U.S. Senate.

Dole, a Salisbury Republican, switched her vote, casting a vote in favor of a critical amendment that would force a new guest worker program to sunset after five years.

The sunset provision, if kept, could all but doom the comprehensive reform legislation. It passed by a one-vote margin, 49-48, at 11:59 p.m.

Dole supports guest workers but opposes the bill overall, calling its provisions for a path to citizenship “amnesty.â€