Revived immigration bill may get stuck at the border

WASHINGTON - A revived immigration reform bill that could legalize some 12 million undocumented immigrants faces a crucial vote as soon as tomorrow - and its prospects are far from certain.

"It's going to be an interesting week," said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.

President Bush appealed to senators in his Saturday radio address to "summon the courage" to move the bill forward. The White House worked with senators on both sides of the aisle to resurrect the measure after it stalled early this month.

A lead opponent, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), predicted yesterday the bill was headed south.

"The support for it continues to erode," Sessions said on ABC's "This Week." "A lot of key senators that were thought to be supportive have announced in recent days that they don't support it."

Sessions and other opponents see the bill, which also includes a guest-worker program and tighter security measures, as offering amnesty, even though illegal immigrants would have to pay fines and wait for years to apply for green cards.

The Senate will need 60 votes to push the bill ahead. It also faces extremely uncertain prospects in the House, if it survives.