Comprehensive immigration reform legislation took a step toward approval on Tuesday, as the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send the bill to the Senate floor.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13 to 5 in favor of the bill, with three Republicans joining with the panel's ten Democrats in voting to support the legislation.
The bill, which was crafted by a bipartisan group of eight senators known as the "Gang of Eight," would provide a way for undocumented immigrants to apply for legalization and eventually citizenship but only after the southern border is secured.
The legislation would also increase the cap on visas for high-skilled workers and establish a new visa program for low-skilled workers.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., noted that the panel held five markup sessions to consider the bipartisan legislation, debating more than 200 amendments offered by members of both parties.
"Today, that consideration is culminating in our bipartisan vote in favor of comprehensive immigration reform in order to bring millions of people of out the shadows, onto a pathway to citizenship, and into American life," Leahy said.
"We have concentrated on this effort with multiple hearings and five days in which we considered hundreds of amendments," he added. "We have endeavored to move expeditiously, because too many have been waiting too long for fairness."
President Barack Obama congratulated the committee for completing its work on the bill, saying that the legislation is largely consistent with the principles of commonsense reform he has proposed.
"None of the Committee members got everything they wanted, and neither did I, but in the end, we all owe it to the American people to get the best possible result over the finish line," Obama said.
He added, "I encourage the full Senate to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor at the earliest possible opportunity and remain hopeful that the amendment process will lead to further improvements."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., indicated that he would bring the legislation to the floor in June, sometime soon after the Senate returns from the Memorial Day recess.
However, final passage of the bill remains uncertain, as the legislation has some vocal critics such as Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
Sessions, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, claimed the bill is "bad for workers, bad for taxpayers and … a threat to public safety and the rule of law."
Sessions has argued that the bill offers a pathway to citizenship quicker than its supporters claim and in exchange for weak promises of future enforcement.
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