Senior Democrats in the Senate are confident that the comprehensive immigration legislation that attempts to come to terms with the growing number of "illegals", including a large number of Indians, and a pathway to citizenship will clear the chamber this week.
The lawmakers are, however, aware of the battle that lies ahead on the Senate floor with an almost equal number of Republicans and Democrats determined to have it their way.
The hope among advocates and activists in the South Asian community is that Congress will pass a law that comes to term with not only "illegals", some 280,000 alone from India by the last count-- but also a spike in the numbers of the H1B visas to 115,000 and easing up on family reunions.
"Tuesday there will be a closure vote on the motion to proceed. It will ripen on Thursday. We'll see if between the two parties we have 60 votes. Both Senator (Trent) Lott and I are on the same side with respect to this. And I'm hopeful that we will," Senator Diane Feinstein, Democratic Senator from California said in Sunday's Fox News Talk Show.
"Let me point something out that's a little different this time. There will be mandatory spending, USD 4.4 billion up front, to do the following before anything else happens, that's about 600 miles to 700 miles of border fence and vehicle obstructions, UAVs, employer verification, no more catch and release," the California lawmaker added.
And one of the prime movers of the Immigration reform on Capitol Hill, Senator Edward Kennedy, also sounded optimistic on the passage of the Bill in the Senate.