Protesters shout slogans in a rally in support of the immigration rights in Washington May 17, 2006. Hundreds of illegal immigrants from Latin America and their supporters rallied to urge Congress for comprehensive immigration reform and earning legalization, etc. The Congress on Wednesday debated intensely on the proposal to legalize about 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States.(Xinhua photo)

    BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhuanet)-- The United States Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to bar illegal immigrants with criminal records from legal residency, and to finance construction of a 370-mile fence along the border with Mexico.

    The 99-0 Senate vote to block felons and people with three misdemeanour convictions from legal residence or citizenship came after a compromise that would allow illegal immigrants who had ignored deportation orders to stay in the United States if their departures would cause "extreme hardship" to family members in the country legally.

    "I think it reflects the will of the American people that however we treat people who are here illegally, there are some limits," said Jon Kyl, an Arizona senator who sponsored the amendment denying citizenship to those convicted of a felony or three misdemeanours.

    
The Senate by an 83-16 vote backed fences on the 3,200-kilometre border, focusing on areas where there is a high volume of illegal crossings.

    The easy passage of both amendments to the Senate bill marked a continued scaling back of some of the more generous elements of the legislation, which has been supported by immigrant-rights activists.

    President George Bush stood his ground. "The Republican Party needs to lead on the issue of immigration," he told an audience of GOP donors. ¡°America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society and we don¡¯t have to choose between the two.¡±

    "Regardless of what the president says, what he is proposing is amnesty," said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, the lawmaker who would lead House negotiators in any attempt to draft a compromise immigration bill later this year.

    In another crucial vote that enhanced chances of passage next week, the Senate by 66-33 defeated a bid led by Louisiana Republican David Vitter to cut out pivotal parts of the bill that create a path for illegal immigrants to get legal status.

    The legislation, generally backed by Bush, would tighten border security while creating a guest-worker program and a path toward citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants. Enditem

    (Agencies)