Immigration deal faces tough week

They appeared buoyed by their success shepherding the controversial bill through its first week of debate and by the sense that voters want them to solve the problem of illegal immigration -- even if those voters don't entirely approve of the solution they have chosen.

Even so, among the 12 senators behind the immigration bill, there is an acknowledgment that the week ahead will be a tough one.

"This is one of the most contentious, complex, emotional issues of our time and no one is going to get 100% of what they want," said Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who spoke about constituents who told him they trust him but don't like his bill. "The situation in the United States, and particularly in my state, is getting worse every day. You simply cannot afford to ignore the problem. You realize you're going to have to get in there, fight like heck to get the situation resolved."

A Democratic aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the senators, said they "felt pretty good coming out of the first week of debate, but there are going to be some tough votes. There's a sense of optimism tinged with nervousness."

Their unease stems in part from their belief that the greatest threats facing the bill this week will come from amendments offered by two former members of the group who now oppose the legislation. It is also rooted in their knowledge that both the bipartisan bill and the bond uniting the coalition that wrote it rest on a fragile foundation.

Republican and Democratic negotiators agreed to a trade-off, which they dubbed the "grand bargain," to give Democrats a way to give many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants legal status and to allow Republicans to shift the criteria for future immigration from family ties toward skills and education. If that trade-off is altered by any amendments this week, coalition members, who have taken to calling themselves the "grand bargainers," say the bill and their united support could fall apart.