Immigration: How’s the Senate Changed?

Posted June 7, 2013 at 11:35am

Our colleagues at the CQ Roll Call Data Mine have rolled out a great new interactive taking a look at the way the Senate’s changed since the chamber last took up a comprehensive bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws.

As the interactive graphic from Sarah Vanderbilt and Michael Stanaland shows, 25 senators are still serving who supported passage of the 2006 immigration package.

Formal debate began on the Senate floor during a rare Friday session, with a cloture vote on the motion to take up the bill set for the afternoon of June 11.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., made brief comments as the debate kicked off Friday morning, before yielding the floor to what’s become a lengthy exchange between Republican Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Mike Lee of Utah. The two Republicans serve on the Judiciary Committee and have opposed the plan drafted by the “gang of eight” senators that’s arriving on the floor.