Republican senators press Bush over security at borders

The criticism came as Bush made his first appearance in nearly six years at the Republican senators' weekly strategy luncheon in the Capitol. Senators said the president was receptive to the idea of a supplemental budget request -- the same mechanism used to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"No one trusts the federal government to do the job right because we have never done it before," said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, repeating concerns made in what lawmakers described as an intense but respectful discussion in an unadorned wood-paneled conference room.

Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, a leading proponent of the comprehensive immigration bill, said a supplemental budget request could build support for the stalled proposal by convincing skeptical GOP voters that new legislation was a good idea.

"Some people said, 'I'm undecided. Help me with my decision,' " Martinez said. "A renewed energy was created today by his visit."

After the session, the president made a brief statement. "Some members in there believe that we need to move a comprehensive bill, some don't. I understand that," Bush said in a hallway outside the Senate chamber. "This is a highly emotional issue, but those of us standing here believe now is the time to move a comprehensive bill."

The discussion, the senators said, focused on the idea of a new budget request, not the details -- so it was unclear how much money the president might call for to secure the border or prevent illegal hires at workplaces.

While talk in the Capitol's corridors swirled around the possibility of an emergency budget request, negotiations continued behind closed doors on the logjam that shelved the bill last week: how many amendments Republican senators would be permitted to introduce and debate.

Martinez and other senators involved in the talks said they were "very close" to reaching an agreement on amendments that would permit the bill to return to the Senate floor in about two weeks.

Senators who met with the president said he spent about half the time talking and half listening. Bush took pains to detail what the administration has done to improve border security and workplace enforcement, including more frequent raids on employers suspected of hiring illegal immigrants.