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Sweeping plans for immigration reform stalled in Senate

A sweeping immigration reform drive collapsed in the US Senate on Thursday, leaving 12 million illegal immigrants in limbo and dealing a stinging blow to US President George W. Bush.

On a night of high political drama, Democratic leader Harry Reid withdrew the landmark measure after senators voted twice within nine hours not to move it towards a final vote.

Only 45 members of the 100-seat Senate backed Reid's bid to limit further debate on the measure, 15 short of the total needed for it to proceed. Fifty senators voted against.

Democrats and Republicans traded blame for the impasse on the deal, brokered just last month by a fragile bipartisan coalition, which represented perhaps Bush's best chance for a major second term domestic achievement.

"A group of Senate Republicans has irresponsibly turned its back on border security and the 12 million people who are living in the shadows of our society," Reid said.

The immigration "grand bargain" was aimed at granting a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, establishing a merit-based points system for future immigrants and a low-wage temporary worker program.

It included a border security crackdown, punishments for employers who hire illegal immigrants and an attempt to wipe out a backlog of visa applications from those who have gone through legal immigration channels.

The bill ran into fierce assaults from conservative groups who branded it an "amnesty" for those who had broken the law to enter and stay in the US.

Some liberal lobbies also opposed the bill, saying its guest worker program threatened US laborers.

High technology companies had warned new immigration rules would not let them pick the high-skilled workers they wanted.

Reid forced Thursday's vote, saying the Senate needed to pass the bill and move on to debating energy reform and the war in Iraq after two weeks of exhaustive work on immigration, a hotly divisive issue.

The vote went ahead after a day of brinkmanship and a last-ditch rescue bid by Bush Cabinet members and top senators.

Despite the setback, Reid pledged to carry on working for immigration reform, but added: "We are finished with this for the time being. We are very close, at some point we are going to do this."
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