Prometheus 6

Senate Leaders Break a Stalemate Over an Immigration Bill
By DAVID STOUT

WASHINGTON, May 11 — Senate leaders said Thursday that they had broken a political stalemate and would bring to the floor next week an immigration bill that could put millions of illegal immigrants on the road to eventual American citizenship.

An agreement reached Thursday by Senators Bill Frist of Tennessee and Harry Reid of Nevada, the Republican majority and Democratic minority leaders, ends an impasse that has stalled action in the Senate for weeks while immigrants and their advocates have held huge demonstrations across the country.

The deal does not mean that a bill will emerge from Congress soon. But it is significant that the Senate leaders agreed to proceed, because the chamber operates under peculiar rules and traditions that can bury legislation indefinitely. Mr. Frist and Mr. Reid said they hoped to schedule a vote before Memorial Day.

Even if the Senate passes an immigration bill, it would have to be reconciled with a bill enacted in December by the House. Until partisan bickering sidetracked legislation in the Senate in early April, the chamber was working on a package that offered opportunities for citizenship, a guest worker program and measures to enhance border security.

The tougher House bill focuses on border security and would crack down on illegal immigrants and those who employ them. Given the deep differences between Senate and House, negotiations could be long and heated.

"What the Democratic leader and I have laid out is a way to get on to this bill," Mr. Frist said, "and as you can tell, both of us are working in very good faith on the various issues that have been raised on the floor."