At long last, the full Senate will take up comprehensive immigration reform within days, after yesterday’s 12 to 6 vote in the Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that addresses the realities of immigration in America. Although the going got tough during a tense day of negotiations, with large protests in the backdrop highlighting the importance of the issue, the committee heeded President Bush’s call, delivered at a naturalization ceremony earlier in the day, to conduct a “civil and dignified” discussion. New Yorkers can take particular pride in Senator Schumer, who, although he had been conspicuously absent during much of the run-up to yesterday’s vote, ultimately sided with the majority, and common sense, to say “yea.”

There is much to cheer in the compromise senators reached yesterday, especially when compared to the draconian enforcement-only bill passed by the House in December. For example, senators eschewed a provision in the House bill that would have criminalized religious organizations that gave aid or shelter to illegal immigrants. They approved hiring up to 14,000 additional agents to police the borders. They also approved Senator Kennedy’s guest worker program, which allows immigrants to enter as guest workers for up to six years while also providing a path toward eventual permanent residence and citizenship, benefits that arguably outweigh the numerical cap Mr. Kennedy would impose on participation in the program. That cap is a sop to domestic labor interests.

Most important of all, however, is the path to legality the bill will offer to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already living in America. The guest worker program will be available not only to new immigrants, but also to the immigrants who are already here. Those who were in America before January 7, 2004, will have the opportunity to apply for guest worker status. This is not an amnesty, although opponents, especially members of Rep. Thomas Tancredo’s immigration caucus in the House, will try to paint it as such. In order to qualify for permanent residence or citizenship, illegal immigrants will need to pay fines and back taxes. They will also go to the back of the application line, behind those who have already started the process of coming to, and staying in, America legally.

The committee has come up with a reform package that, at first glance at least, addresses all three pillars that a Manhattan Institute scholar, Tamar Jacoby, has argued are necessary for successful reform: a legal way in for the immigrants who want to come and whom America needs; strict enforcement to encourage all immigrants to use those legal channels; and a way to bring the 12 million illegal immigrants already here out of the shadows. Despite the House’s effort last year, enforcement alone won’t work. Sending away those 12 million people, many of whom would be law abiding laborers but for antiquated immigration laws that make visas so hard to come by, isn’t feasible – it would be well nigh impossible to round them all up, and even if there were enough police officers and handcuffs to do it, America’s economy couldn’t cope with the sudden loss of so many workers. Nor would building a fence alone do much good over the long run. America will always exert too strong a pull on too many people to keep them all out. It’s un-American for a nation that vigorously celebrates St. Patrick’s Day and breakfasts on bagels and lox to try to keep out the next wave of immigrants.

Few issues arouse as much passion as immigration reform, especially now that concerns about border security and terrorism add to longstanding worries about the economic effects of immigration, both legal and illegal. The Senate is about to witness a bruising fight, and if a reform bill survives that test the furor will only intensify once the issue reaches the House again and the two chambers struggle to hammer out a compromise. In which case, members of Congress of both parties and in both chambers would benefit from marking President Bush’s address yesterday.

“Our immigrant heritage has enriched America’s history,” the president said. “It continues to shape our society. Each generation of immigrants brings a renewal to our national character and adds vitality to our culture. Newcomers have a special way of appreciating the opportunities of America, and when they seize those opportunities, our whole nation benefits.” He continued: “At its core, immigration is a sign of a confident and successful nation. It says something about our country that people around the world are willing to leave their homes and leave their families and risk everything to come to America.”

Mr. Bush concluded with a thought that bears remembering on the Hill when the Senate takes up this bill: “We also have a chance to move beyond tired choices and the harsh attitudes of the past. The immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and dignified way. No one should play on people’s fears, or try to pit neighbors against each other. No one should pretend that immigrants are threats to American identity, because immigrants have shaped America’s identity.” Members of the judiciary committee have taken just such an approach. Our hope is that their colleagues will follow their lead.