A Senate committee approved a sweeping immigration reform bill Tuesday that would provide a path to citizenship for up to 11 million illegal immigrants, setting the stage for the full Senate to consider the landmark legislation next month.
After five days of debate over dozen of amendments, the Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 in support of the comprehensive bill, with three Republicans joining the committee's 10 Democrats. The legislation emerged with its core provisions largely intact, including new visa programs for high-tech and low-skilled workers and new investments in strengthening border control.
"The dysfunction in our current immigration system affects all of us and it is long past time for reform. I hope that our history, our values and our decency can inspire us finally to take action," said committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat. "We need an immigration system that lives up to American values and helps write the next great chapter in American history by reinvigorating our economy and enriching our communities."