Immigration Reform 2013: Senators Insist on Border Security Before Reform Can Proceed

A bipartisan group of senators has proposed new immigration reform measures tied to border security, and they seem intent to pursue guarantees that border enforcement will be increased before the country moves forward on other immigration reform changes.

While President Obama has proposed similar changes, which would provide a path to citizenship for many of the non-violent undocumented immigrants in the country, his plan is not tied to border enforcement. The president has said he will push through changes if Congress becomes gridlocked on the issue.

But that seems likely, as many senators are speaking out both in favor and against stronger border control measures.

"We need border security, we need workplace enforcement, we need a visa tracking system," said Marco Rubio, one of the Republican sponsors of the Senate plan. "If there is not language in this bill that guarantees that nothing else will happen unless these enforcement mechanisms are in place, I won't support it."

John McCain, another Republican author of the bill, echoed Rubio's demands.

"Border enforcement and border security is a pre-requisite," said McCain on CBS This Morning. "And obviously that makes sense since we don't want to have a repeat again some years from now of another group of people coming to this country illegally."

Democrats face a potentially tough decision if the friendly overtures on immigration between the White House and Senate Republicans break down. For now, both sides are praising each other.

But if the Senate plan is forced through changes that maker it unpalatable to the president, Democrats will need to choose between their bipartisan coalition and party unity.

"This is such an important issue to America, and it's so complicated, and it deals with every aspect, that I think we should have a full and robust debate," said Chuck Schumer, one of the Democratic authors of the bill. "And by the way, the hope is that we could pass this with a nice, sizable, bipartisan majority. Because that could set the stage -- make it easier for the House to pass it."

More likely, the bill gets shot down by Republicans in either the Senate or the House as Tea Partiers and anti-immigrant voices trip over themselves trying to demonstrate their unparalleled commitment to border security at the expense of real reform.

If that happens, Obama can push through a bill that favors more progressive reforms, and either get what he wants or watch the Republicans end any chance they have of winning back Latinos in 2016.