Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Act of 2007
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Act of 2007, or, in its full name, the Secure
Borders, Economic Opportunity and Im-
migration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348)
was a bill discussed in the 110th United
States Congress that would have provided
legal status and a responsible path to citizen-
ship for the approximately 12 million undocu-
mented immigrants currently residing in the
United States. The bill was portrayed as a
compromise between providing a responsible
path to citizenship for undocumented immig-
rants and increased border enforcement: it
included funding for 300 miles (480 km) of
vehicle barriers, 105 camera and radar
towers, and 20,000 more Border Patrol
agents, while simultaneously restructuring
visa criteria around high skill workers. The
bill also received heated criticism from both
sides of the immigration debate. The bill was
introduced in the United States Senate on
May 9, 2007, but was never voted on, though
a series of votes on amendments and cloture
took place. The last vote on cloture, on June
7, 2007, 11:59 AM, failed 34-61 effectively
ending the bill’s chances. A related bill S.
1639, on June 28, 2007, 11:04 AM, also failed
46-53.
Legislative history
The bill was a compromise based largely on
three previous failed immigration bills:
• the Secure America and Orderly
Immigration Act (S. 1033), a bill proposed
in May 2005 by Senators Ted Kennedy and
John McCain, sometimes referred to as the
"McCain-Kennedy or McKennedy Bill"
• the Comprehensive Enforcement and
Immigration Reform Act of 2005 (S. 1438),
a bill proposed in July 2005 by Senators
John Cornyn and Jon Kyl, sometimes
referred to as the "Cornyn-Kyl Bill"
• the Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Act of 2006 (S. 2611), sponsored by
Senator Arlen Specter, which was passed
in the Senate in May 2006 but never
passed in the House
The bill’s sole sponsor in the Senate was Ma-
jority Leader Harry Reid, though it was craf-
ted in large part as a result of efforts by Sen-
ators Kennedy, McCain and Kyl, a