In an overwhelming vote showing bipartisan support the Senate passed a bill that will completely overhaul the entire immigration policy of the United States on Thursday. The bill will provide a path for millions of immigrants currently in the country illegally to eventually obtain U.S. citizenship as well as significantly strengthen the border with Mexico, according to the Washington Post.
The 1,200 page immigration bill has been one of the top priorities of Senators for the last six months. The bill was written by a bipartisan panel nicknamed the "Gang of Eight" who relentlessly fought to get the support of both sides of the aisle to pass the bill.
The original draft of the bill lacked the border security provisions that many Republicans required before they would support the bill. Once Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., attached an amendment that added 750 miles of border fencing and 19,000 new border agents enough Republicans supported the bill to guarantee passage, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
The bill was able to pass the Senate by a vote of 68-32, including 14 votes from Republicans.
"Before the American people give up on the Congress, look at what we achieved today in a bipartisan fashion," Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said at a press conference.
While the vote shows an amount of cooperation between the two parties that is rarely seen in the Senate these days it fell short of the 70 votes the "Gang of Eight" were hoping to obtain. The Senate had hoped for an overwhelming majority of support so that the House would feel obligated to at least strongly consider the bill, if not pass it, according to NBC News.
"To our friends in the House, we ask for your consideration," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said at a news conference following the vote. "We stand ready to sit down and negotiate with you."
Whether or not House leaders will consider the bill is still up for debate. Speaker of the House, John Boehner, R-Ohio, told NBC News that the House will pursue a bill of their own without considering the Senate bill.
"We're going to do our own bill through regular order, and it'll be legislation that reflects the will of our majority and the will of the American people," Boehner said. "And for any legislation, including a conference report, to pass the House is going to have to be a bill that has the support of a majority of our members."
While traveling in Africa President Barack Obama gave a statement about the immigration bill's passage.
"Nobody got everything they wanted. Not Democrats. Not Republicans. Not me," President Obama said. "But the Senate bill is consistent with the key principles for common-sense reform that I - and many others - have repeatedly laid out. Today, the Senate did its job. It's now up to the House to do the same."
