Immigration Reform 2013 News: Obama-Backed Immigration Bill Does Well in Senate During First Major Test

The bipartisan U.S. Senate panel's proposed bill that would bring about comprehensive immigration reform survived its first major test Thursday during its first day of consideration before the Senate Judiciary Committee, one that was largely split on the bill.

With 10 Democrats and eight Republicans on the committee, the efforts of conservative opponents to derail the centerpiece of the bill, which grants a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., were fended off on bipartisan votes.

All together, according to the Huffington Post, some 21 amendments were accepted by the committee on the bill, although hundreds more were submitted.

However, largely, supporters of the bill, both Democrat and Republican alike, expressed optimism regarding the bill's chances to pass in Congress.

"It is a better bill now than it was this morning," said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a member of the committee and the bipartisan panel who submitted the bill.

"We all know this is going to be a long, hard road but we're off to a good start," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told USA Today. "I think our arguments are holding firm."

With the provisions in the bill, the legislation, if passed would allow a 13-year conditional pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, create a visa program for more high- and low-skilled immigrant workers and provide additional funding for border security.

However, while the bill is expected to be completed by the end of the month, it will face tougher challenges when it meets the full Senate for debate that could last through the summer.

Yet, the prospects for immigration reform passing into law have never been better, as more Republicans have come around to supporting the bill in order to reform the Republican Party's image in the wake of Latino voters handing the GOP stinging defeats in the polls during the November elections.

Despite more support from the GOP side, there are still a number of Republicans still resisting the idea of a pathway to citizenship on the argument that the bill was tantamount to amnesty.

One of the critics of the bill, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was disappointed that his amendment that would have tripled the size of the U.S. Border Patrol and quadrupled the amount of sensors and drones at the southwest border with Mexico was rejected.

"The American people want Congress to be serious about border security," Cruz said. "That is true among Republicans and Democrats. It is true in red states and blue states. And it is with regret that the committee has consistently rejected any attempts to put real teeth in this bill to secure the border."

Sen. Schumer, however, countered that the security provisions in the bill were "tough as nails."

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who suggested recently that the proceedings on the bill be delayed due to the Boston Marathon suspects--two Chechen nationals--being revealed as immigrants, said in a statement that he would make this an "arduous" and "robust" debate.

"I plan to ask many questions throughout this process," Sen. Grassley said. "I want to know how the bill doesn't repeat the mistakes of the past."