Kevin Capito, a member of the Utah Minuteman Project, also expressed concerns that the bill would reward those who stole Social Security numbers in order to find jobs.

"Our elected officials should be looking out for their constituents who have their identities stolen and credit histories ruined," said Capito. "They definitely shouldn't be granting amnesty from identity theft to people who have stolen our kids' identities."

The bill also changes the emphasis of the nation's immigration system from family reunification to a point-based system based on an immigrant's skills, such as education level and ability to learn English. Immigrant rights activists have expressed concern about that shift, saying that it would divide families because it eliminates some visas such as siblings and adult children of citizens.

The point system would also make it harder for employers to select workers with needed skills, said Bo Cooper, an adviser to technology companies and former general counsel for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service.

"When it is workers who self-petition, rather than employers who decide, there is a loss over the control of the types of skill sets," he said. "When it's applicant-driven, the number of applicants is going to be astronomical. ... It's going to be a far more random and uncontrolled process."

On Monday, Reid expressed his own concerns about the bill, saying, "What we have now is a starting point."

One of Reid's concerns is that the bill's low-skilled temporary worker visa would create a "permanent underclass" by allowing workers to work only for three two-year periods, and requiring them to return home for a year in between, with little chance of becoming permanent residents. Still, he emphasized the bill's potential and stressed the need for Congress to act.

"We could continue to track down the undocumented housekeepers, dishwashers and farm laborers who live among us," Reid said. "Or we could provide them the chance to earn their citizenship with all the responsibilities it requires — and refocus our limited resources on those who would do us harm, rather than those who do us proud."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com