Graham ammendment keys immigration bill vote
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WASHINGTON – Sen. Lindsey Graham gained a major victory today as 64 senators voted to resume consideration of the immigration bill he has helped craft.
Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina’s other senator and a leading opponent of the measure, was among the 35 senators who voted against moving it back to the Senate floor.
DeMint vowed Monday to do everything in his power to stop the legislation, which he says grants amnesty to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said prospects for the measure’s eventual passage in the Senate are boosted by a complex amendment Graham is offering. It has a number of provisions aimed at beefing up border enforcement and worker verification.
---James Rosen