Senate approves fence on border

WASHINGTON — The Senate agreed to give millions of illegal immigrants a shot at U.S. citizenship and backed construction of 370 miles of triple-layered fencing along the Mexican border Wednesday. Prospects for legislation clearing Congress were clouded by a withering attack against President Bush by a prominent House Republican.

"Regardless of what the president says, what he is proposing is amnesty," said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the lawmaker who would lead House negotiators in any attempt to draft a compromise immigration bill later this year.

Bush stood his ground. "The Republican Party needs to lead on the issue of immigration," he told an audience of GOP donors. "America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society and we don't have to choose between the two."

The blast by Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, came on the day the White House dispatched top presidential aide Karl Rove to ease the concerns of rebellious House Republicans and GOP senators clashed on the Senate floor.

The president insisted that he has no interest in amnesty for illegals, and appealed for an appreciation for every immigrant whose hard work "lifts the spirit of this country."

"The Republican Party needs to lead on the issue of immigration. The immigration system is not working and we need to do something about it now," he said at a Washington gala that raised $17 million for the national GOP. "America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society and we don't have to choose between the two."

Earlier, GOP senators clashed on the Senate floor.

"This is not amnesty, so let's get the terms right," Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska lectured fellow Republicans who condemned the bill. "Come on. Let's stop the nonsense."

"It sort of reminds me of the famous line, 'Methinks thou dost protest too much,' " responded Sen. David Vitter, R-La., who repeatedly described the legislation as an amnesty bill for lawbreakers.

Rhetoric aside, the votes on the Senate floor gave fresh momentum to legislation that closely follows Bush's call for a broad bill. The measure includes steps to secure the borders, the citizenship-related provisions for illegal immigrants and a new guest worker program for as many as 200,000 people a year. Senate passage appears likely next week.

Utah Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett both voted in favor of the plan to build the fence. But they also voted in favor of an amendment that would have removed the provision giving illegal immigrants an eventual chance at citizenship. The amendment was defeated on a 66-33 Senate vote. In all, 41 Democrats joined with 24 Republicans and one independent to turn back the proposal.