Immigration bill stalls in the Senate

WASHINGTON — Efforts to pave the way for some illegal immigrants to work their way to citizenship failed in the Senate on a procedural vote Tuesday, but supporters of the legislation said they would try again.

The AgJobs Bill, which would allow an estimated 500,000 undocumented farm workers and their families to gain legal status in the United States, fell seven votes short of the 60 votes needed to force the Senate to consider the measure.

It was being offered as part of an $80.7 billion supplemental appropriations bill to finance military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The House is expected to approve that bill within days.

Supporters of the bill said the 53-45 vote indicated that a majority of the Senate supports the legislation. By contrast, they noted that only 21 senators voted last Wednesday for a competing bill that would streamline the current H-2A "guest worker" visa program for agricultural workers but not allow illegal immigrants to gain citizenship without first returning to their native country and going through normal immigration procedures.

"A majority of my colleagues sent a strong message today that they support AgJobs and are ready to address immigration reform," Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, the bill's prime sponsor, said after the vote. "I will continue to work . . . to bring this before the Senate sooner rather than later."

The Bush administration opposed adding controversial immigration provisions to the special spending bill because of concerns that they would delay its final passage. Several senators also had threatened to delay the bill's passage if the immigration proposals were added.

Nevertheless, supporters of several controversial measures — to provide legal status to illegal farm workers, increase the number of temporary tourism industry workers, and create a national identification card — saw the spending bill as a chance to hitch a ride on "must-pass" legislation.

Late Tuesday, the Senate voted 94-6 in favor of an amendment that would exempt temporary seafood workers needed this spring and summer from the annual 66,000 ceiling on the H-2B visa program for specially skilled workers.

Senators were faced with two competing agriculture immigration proposals Tuesday.