Senators Report Progress on a Complicated Bill on Immigration

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/washi ... washington

By ROBERT PEAR
Published: May 16, 2007

WASHINGTON, May 15 — With the new Congress poised to take its first vote on immigration, senators from both parties stepped up the pace of negotiations on Tuesday in hopes of cutting a deal on a comprehensive bill that would increase enforcement at the border and offer legal status to millions of undocumented workers.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, spoke with reporters Tuesday before closed negotiations on the immigration measure.

Even as Democrats made concessions to Republicans adamantly opposed to any kind of amnesty, they risked alienating longtime supporters of the Democratic Party, including labor unions and Hispanic groups that wanted legislation tilted more toward the rights of immigrants.

A group of about 10 senators working behind closed doors said they were making progress on a bill but still had many issues to resolve.

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, had said the Senate would take a test vote on the issue on Wednesday, but late Tuesday night a spokesman said the vote would be delayed until Monday. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, said they were apprehensive about starting floor debate on immigration because they did not know details of the bill being negotiated.

“This is a huge, complicated measure, with a lot more moving pieces than most people realize,â€