Immigrant Graduate Bill Loses in Test Vote

A bill criticized by conservatives for providing “backdoor amnesty” to illegal immigrants has failed in a test vote.

The bill to give legal status to high school grads failed to get the 60 votes needed for debate, the New York Times reports. To be eligible, students must arrive here before the age of 16, be under the age of 30, and live here at least five years.

The White House had opposed the measure, saying it needed to be coupled with strong measures to battle illegal immigration. It issued a statement saying the bill would establish a "preferential path to citizenship for a special class of illegal aliens," the Washington Post reports.