Immigration Reform Revived in Bipartisan Bill

Two influential senators, a Democrat and Republican, have revived immigration reform with the blessing of the White House. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) want to require U.S. citizens and legal immigrants to carry tamper-proof biometric Social Security cards that employers could swipe through a verification checker to make certain a prospective worker can be hired legally.

Those already in the country illegally "would be required to admit they broke the law and to pay their debt to society by performing community service and paying fines and back taxes," the senators said in a Washington Post op-ed piece Thursday.

Schumer and Graham would also beef up security along the border with Mexico. They did not say when they would introduce their bill or what other senators would join the bipartisan effort.

But President Obama is on board. He called the legislation a "promising framework" and pledged to "do everything in my power to forge a bipartisan consensus this year on this important matter."