WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who is considered crucial to the passage of an immigration law overhaul, on Tuesday vowed to fight for a biometric system that would track foreigners entering and exiting the country after a Senate panel rejected the idea.
Rubio and seven other Republican and Democratic senators, known as the "gang of eight," have crafted a sweeping bill that would revamp the immigration system, increase work visas and put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.
In its second day of examining the legislation, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted against the Republican amendment that would have made it easier for the government to track illegal immigrants and other foreigners who have overstayed their visas.
The amendment would have required a biometric system at every point of entry in the United States before illegal immigrants would be eligible for permanent residency or a green card.
The biometric system is estimated to cost about $25 billion and uses technology such as iris scans and fingerprinting to identify people.
Citing the price tag and saying it would delay citizenship under the program, two of the Republicans who helped craft the bill sided with Democrats to defeat the amendment 12-6. The biometric system idea could potentially deter Democrats from voting for the entire bill if it delays illegal immigrants from becoming citizens.
In an effort to keep the legislation intact, the bipartisan gang of eight senators agreed to work together to block amendments that could kill the bill.
