Possible compromise on immigration reform takes shape

Possible compromise on immigration reform takes shape By Dana Bash and Tom Cohen , CNN updated 11:16 AM EST, Mon January 28, 2013 CNN.com Washington (CNN) -- Undocumented immigrants would be able to seek legal status without first going home under a compromise framework floated Monday by a bipartisan group of senators, according to a source familiar with the plan. The outline for a possible immigration reform bill reflects a Republican willingness to compromise on what President Barack Obama calls a top priority of his second term. Obama won re-election in November with strong support from Latinos, the fastest-growing demographic. That has caused GOP leaders to seek a deal with Democrats that would provide a path to legal status for many of the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants --- an outcome long opposed by conservatives as amnesty. Path to citizenship: Senators outline bipartisan immigration plan "There is a new, I think, appreciation on both sides of the aisle -- including maybe more importantly on the Republican side of the aisle -- that we have to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill," Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Sunday. "We are losing dramatically the Hispanic vote, which we think should be ours, for a variety of reasons, and we've got to understand that," McCain told ABC's "This Week." McCain is one of the eight senators proposing the compromise. Four are influential Democrats, while Republicans joining McCain in the effort include tea party backed newcomers Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona -- two states where immigration is a major issue. It was unclear how their plan would be received in the Republican-led House, where conservatives hold more influence. The senators will announce their plan a day before Obama speaks in Las Vegas on immigration reform, signaling a major push by both sides to focus on the contentious issue in the new Congress. Aides say the president's remarks on Tuesday will touch on the blueprint he's detailed in the past: improving border security, cracking down on employers who hire undocumented workers, and creating a pathway to "earned" citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Lawmakers: GOP needs to back immigration overhaul Those provisions align closely with what the eight senators laid out in a framework of their legislation, which was obtained by CNN on Sunday. The legislators based the proposal on four "pillars." These include: -- A "tough but fair" path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already living in the United States, after bolstering the nation's border security; --Overhauling the country's legal immigration system, including attaching green cards to advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math from U.S. universities; --Establishing an employment verification system that holds employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers; --Creating a guest worker program for positions that Americans are either unable or unwilling to fill. Democratic senators backing the plan include Chuck Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Michael Bennet of Colorado. Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina rounds out the overall group. Opinion: Worker visas are the key to immigration reform Menendez said the time was right for pushing major immigration reform through the Senate. "First of all, Americans support it in poll after poll," he said. "Secondly, Latino voters expect it. Thirdly, Democrats want it. And fourth, Republicans need it." A source familiar with how the eight senators came up with the plan told CNN that Graham called Schumer after the November vote to restart work on an immigration bill that broke down in 2010. Soon, a core group of six senators formed and met five times in the following weeks in the offices of Schumer and McCain, the source said, adding that Flake and Bennet also took part in some of the meetings and were the last to agree to the proposal. An initial timetable by the senators called for a framework by the end of January, the text of a bill to to the Senate Judiciary Committee by March, and Senate passage by the end of July, according to the source. The group last met on Wednesday, then worked through some details before Schumer called Obama on Sunday to tell him of Monday's planned announcement, the source said. While specifics on border security and legal status for undocumented immigrants need to be worked out, the framework lacks any requirement for people in the United States illegally to return to their home countries before getting a shot at legal status, according to the source. Five reasons why time may be right for immigration reform Obama came under criticism from Latino activists for failing to deliver on 2008 campaign promise to make immigration reform a priority of his first term. Last year, as his re-election campaign heated up, the Obama administration announced a halt to deportations of some young undocumented immigrants in a move that delighted the Latino community. Exit polls in November indicated Latino voters gave overwhelming support to Obama over GOP challenger Mitt Romney, who had advocated a policy that amounted to forcing undocumented immigrants to deport themselves. Since the election, mainstream Republican leaders and some conservatives such as Rubio, a child of Cuban immigrants and considered a rising star in the party, have called for addressing the immigration issue instead of ceding the Latino vote to Democrats. McCain, a veteran of failed attempts to address the issue during the George W. Bush administration, said the senators' proposal wasn't "that much different from what we tried to do in 2007." Obama met behind closed doors Friday with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and vowed to "move the debate forward," the White House said in a statement. Rep. Xavier Becerra , D-California, who was at the meeting, said that Obama had indicated that immigration reform "is his top legislative priority." iReport: Under Deportation, Above Fear CNN's Kevin Liptak and Matt Smith contributed to this report. © 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.