WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate debate on the fractious immigration bill resumed Wednesday with 26 amendments as support lynchpins for both Democrats and Republicans.
The bill survived by a 64-35 vote Tuesday to continue debate but there are shifting loyalties in both parties depending on how the compromise amendments are handled, The Los Angeles Times reported.
A second acid test on whether to continue debate is expected Thursday and a minimum 60 votes are required to proceed.
Some conservative Republicans view the bill as granting amnesty to illegal immigrants, while some Democrats don't like its changes to the family-based immigration system, its border-security provisions or its impact on U.S. workers, the Times said.
Among those lobbying both sides for compromise on behalf of the White House is Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, a Bush administration official told the newspaper.
Meanwhile in the House, the Senate bill is unpopular among Republicans, with Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., telling a Tuesday news conference it was "dead on arrival," the Times said.
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