By Doug Cunningham

The U.S. Senate has reached a bipartisan compromise agreement on immigration reform that creates a path to citizenship for many millions of undocumented immigrant workers. But the reform is far from becoming law, since it must first be reconciled with the U.S. House before going on to the president to become law.

The Senate plan creates a guest worker program that organized labor opposes. The AFL-CIO says this proposed reform creates a big group of second-class citizens who might not ever become U.S. citizens. The AFL-CIO has said that such a guest worker program
will put downward pressure on wages while taking jobs from citizens.

Under the Senate reform 325,000 foreign workers would be allowed to work at jobs each year in the U.S. The immigration reform would allow undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for five years or more to eventually become citizens. Roughly three million undocumented immigrants would have to leave the U.S. briefly and return as temporary workers under this Senate plan.

Republicans in the House, who passed a tough crackdown on illegal immigration are warning they won’t support what they consider to be amnesty for undocumented workers. Some conservatives in the Senate also believe that the Senate plan amounts to amnesty.

Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid says this gives millions of immigrant workers hope for achieving the American Dream.