Reid will put off vote on immigration deal

WASHINGTON - Agreeing to give a fitful set of bipartisan talks more time to yield an immigration deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said yesterday he would delay a vote on the issue until Wednesday.

The move postponed - at least for a day - what was shaping up as a partisan clash over immigration after weeks of negotiations between the White House and senators in both parties designed to strike a broad compromise.

With that accord elusive, Reid is planning to force debate next week on an immigration measure that passed the Senate last year with wide Democratic backing but opposition by a majority of Republicans. GOP senators have promised to block that move, saying they will accept only a new bipartisan compromise.

"Some of the senators feel that there's a breakthrough that could take place" in talks over the weekend and early next week, said Reid (D., Nev.), adding that he would "reluctantly" postpone the test vote, which he had set for Tuesday.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said the move would "give us the maximum opportunity to piece back together the bipartisan agreement that we thought we almost had a week or so ago."

Talks are continuing on the possible deal, which would first secure the U.S.-Mexico border and implement an elaborate high-tech ID system for immigrant workers, and only then give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at legal status - after waits as long as 13 more years.

Many Democrats and Republicans are wary of such an agreement, which also would limit immigrants' ability to bring their families to the United States. Democrats fear it will be rejected as too punitive by their liberal base, while Republicans are concerned about alienating conservatives by appearing too lenient.