Bickering marks immigration debate

http://www.kxmb.com/News/130024.asp

Jun 5 2007 8:21PM
Associated Press

CAPITOL HILL (AP) The Senate's debate over a broad immigration compromise has sunk into bitter partisanship.

Republicans and Democrats today accused each other of trying to squander its chances of passing.

Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "People are looking for excuses on the Republican side to kill this bill." Then Reid moved to force a test vote Thursday to speed its passage.

That ran into swift and forceful opposition from Senate Republicans who claimed that the Democrats were squelching debate.

Arizona's Jon Kyl (kyl) said Reid's tactic would "risk the bill not passing at all." The sniping threatens to scuttle a bipartisan measure that's facing numerous challenges from the right and left.

The bill would legalize (m) millions of unlawful immigrants, tighten border security and institute new worksite enforcement measures. It would also create a controversial guest worker program.