A group of senators from Democrat and Republican parties who are working on a comprehensive immigration package believe they will be able to introduce a sweeping bill in Congress tackling the immigration issues, when the Senate returns to session after a two-week Easter break.

Earlier the immigration talks had slowed down when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO were not able to agree on the scope of proposed guest-worker program, which resulted in delay in the ongoing negotiations.

Democrats Sens. Charles E. Schumer of New York and Michael F. Bennet of Colorado, as well as Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, both Arizona Republicans, who are part of the group, recently toured the U.S.-Mexico border. During the tour, the senators saw border agents apprehend a woman who had climbed an 18-foot-tall fence.

After the tour, Sen. Schumer told the reporters, “Bottom line, we’re very close. I’d say we’re 90 percent there. We have a few little problems, we’ve been on the phone all day with our four other colleagues.” The other members of the group are Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Democratic Sens. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois and Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

Sen. Schumer is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee. This was his first visit to the border. He said that his observations will make it easier for him to persuade colleagues about the need for additional border measures. “What I learned today is we have adequate manpower but not adequate technology,” Schumer said at a news conference. “And John has been saying that all along,” referring to Sen. John McCain.

The senators are trying to encourage the public and lawmakers to support their plan, which would give a legal status to the nation’s illegal immigrants, but will require the border be deemed secure before anybody living here illegally gets a pathway to citizenship. There are estimated 11 million illegal immigrants residing in the country at present.

The main obstacle, though, has been bridging the divide between business and labor leaders over the particulars of how best to overhaul the nation’s guest-worker program. This issue was also the main factor that could not be resolved in 2007 and resulted in derailing the comprehensive immigration reform then.

Bergen County, NJ – The recent release of about 50 immigrant detainees from the Hudson and Bergen County jails was the result of uncertainty caused by the looming budget cuts in the agency budget of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Those who were released in New Jersey and at other facilities around the country were described as non-criminal or low risk offenders by the Federal immigration officials. In Arizona, 300 illegal immigrants were released from federal custody. That has already created a heated controversy as Arizona has one of the nation’s toughest laws against illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants were also released from federal detention in Michigan and Ohio.

ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security, that faces a $4 billion budget cut as part of the broad Federal budget cuts, under the so-called sequester, which mandates $85 billion in spending cuts during the rest of fiscal 2013 as part of $1.2 trillion over 10 years.

“ICE has reviewed its detained population to ensure detention levels stay within ICE’s current budget,” agency spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said in a statement.

“Over the last week, ICE has reviewed several hundred cases and placed these individuals on methods of supervision less costly than detention. All of these individuals remain in removal proceedings. Priority for detention remains on serious criminal offenders and other individuals who pose a significant threat to public safety.”, the officials said.

Those who were released still eventually face deportation and are required to appear for upcoming court hearings. However, they are no longer detained in immigration jails, where advocacy experts say they cost about $164 per day per person. The supervised release comes with conditions that can include mandatory check-ins, home visits and GPS devices and cost the government from 30 cents to $14 a day, according to the National Immigration Forum, a group that advocates on behalf of immigrants.

Although this move was welcomed by immigrants’ advocates, many lawmakers criticized it saying that it jeopardizes public safety. The strong reaction to the releases prompted a review of the list of detainees’ cases.

The review found that at least one detainee should not have been released, according to the officials. The detainee, whose name was not released, had criminal convictions for bail jumping and a drug-related charge — “nonviolent offenses,” said Gillian M. Christensen.

The detainee had been “inadvertently released” from the Hudson County jail in New Jersey but was found the next day and arrested again by the agents, Ms. Christensen said. Immigration officials said they had no more information about any other detainees who had been released in error.

WASHINGTON – A bill to overhaul immigration laws and provide a path to legal status for an estimated 11 million people who overstayed their visas or illegally entered the United States, has been formally filed in the US Senate.

The bill is titled the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 and was formally filed on the floor of the Senate shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday by Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer, said Brian Fallon, a spokesman for the New York senator.

Under the proposal, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before December 31, 2011, and had stayed in the country continuously could apply for “provisional” legal status as soon as six months after the bill is signed by the president.

But beyond that, they would have to wait a decade or more for full citizenship which would entitle them to federal benefits, while the government works on further securing U.S. borders and enforcing the new immigration law.

Within six months from enactment, during which time the Department of Homeland Security would set out its border security plan, the threat of deportation could end for most illegal immigrants. They would be allowed to work legally in the United States once they pay an initial $500 penalty and any back taxes, and if they can show they have not been convicted of a serious crime in the United States.

After 10 years the immigrants could apply for a “green card,” or permanent resident status, through an expanded merit-based immigration system. Those applications could be processed whether or not the government achieved a 90 percent success rate in securing border hot spots.

The green card would not be automatic, although a Senate aide said the majority of the 11 million illegal immigrants would likely get it via the merit-based visa. The total amount of penalties paid would amount to $2,000.

After the 10-year wait for a green card, it could take an additional three years to win U.S. citizenship.

The bill was crafted by four Democratic senators: Schumer, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado; and Republicans McCain, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida.