As the Memorial Day recess neared, the Senate was debating a compromise immigration reform measure. The proposal, however, faced strong opposition from lawmakers from both parties as well as labor and industry groups.
A group of Senate legislators on May 17 announced that they had struck a deal that they believed could break an impasse preventing immigration reform from moving forward. But shortly after the agreement was reached, lawmakers of both parties criticized the proposal. Debate was expected to continue beyond the Memorial Day break.