"I don't think it would be appropriate for us on the Senate side to draw a line in the sand and say this is nonnegotiable," he said. "That is not the way to go in."

But McCain also said he feels voters would strike back at both parties if no immigration legislation is passed this year. "The consequences of failure should properly be very high," he said.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he probably would vote against the bill, but that its "problems" can be settled in negotiations with the House.

"Failure is really not an option," said Cornyn, who will be one of the negotiators. "I think we've got to come up with a bill that addresses the American people's concerns."

Frist said he was confident the compromise that emerges from House and Senate talks will be followed by the necessary money. He said the failure of the 1986 amnesty law actually would help today because it would reinforce the need for adequate financing, particularly for enforcement.

As the bill moved ahead, Mexico's president Vicente Fox spoke to legislators in Utah and farm workers, farm owners and business people in Washington state. Fox's message was that the U.S. and Mexico must fix immigration problems together.

In the Senate, a 73-25 vote to limit debate set the stage for final approval of the bipartisan bill. The measure calls for increased border security, a new guest worker program and a shot at citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.

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