May 17 (Bloomberg) -- Senate negotiators reached bipartisan agreement on immigration legislation aimed at providing a path to citizenship for 12 million undocumented aliens while improving U.S. border security.

``This agreement is the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders, bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America,'' Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and chief sponsor of the overhaul, said at a news conference.

The plan, with Bush administration support, would give illegal immigrants in the U.S. a chance for permanent residency after eight years and eventual citizenship. It would create a temporary worker program, beef up border patrols and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants.

Kennedy may have trouble mustering support from his own party. Only three Democrats -- Kennedy, Colorado Senator Ken Salazar and Dianne Feinstein of California -- attended the press conference with seven Republican senators, including Arizona Republican John McCain, a presidential candidate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he has ``serious concerns'' about the temporary-worker program. The Nevada Democrat said in a statement that the proposal ``can serve as a starting point for the Senate debate next week.''

`Orderly and Fair'

President George W. Bush said the proposed legislation ``will help enforce our borders, but equally importantly, it will treat people with respect.''

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the plan ``gives an honest solution to a problem that has bedeviled this country for decades.'' Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez negotiated with lawmakers on the measure for weeks.

South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham predicted ``overwhelming'' support for the plan in Congress.

``This is the last, best chance to pass immigration reform on our terms as a nation,'' Graham said. ``If this somehow collapsed it will be years before you could recreate this.''

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met today with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and said the Senate measure is a good starting point that may need to be improved through amendments. Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the House intends to complete work on its own bill before recessing in August.

Last Year's Measure

Reid had pressured the negotiators to reach a deal by threatening to call for debate on immigration legislation that passed the Senate last year before the House shelved it. Reid said Congress must act now or miss a chance to overhaul the law before the 2008 presidential election.

The accord is intended to cover the main elements of a plan sought by Bush for more than two years.

Besides giving 12 million undocumented immigrants a path to legal status and citizenship, the new plan would create a point system to give preferences to future immigrants with special job skills and educational credentials.

Businesses such as farms and restaurants have backed legislation that would allow immigrants to at least temporarily take jobs in the U.S. that might otherwise go unfilled. The Chamber of Commerce, the nation's largest business federation, supports ``an earned pathway to legalization'' and a ``carefully monitored guest or essential worker program'' to fill gaps in the U.S. workforce, according to a statement on its Web site.

Bush and Democrats backed similar legislation a year ago before it was blocked by House Republicans, who dismissed the citizenship opportunity for those illegally in the U.S. as amnesty for lawbreakers.

`Important Step'

McCain called the new proposal ``a first step but important step in moving forward with comprehensive overall immigration reform,'' said McCain. He said the measure would ``put employers on notice that the practice of hiring illegal workers will no longer be tolerated.''

``This will restore the rule of law,'' said Specter. He called the agreement ``the best I think that can be done,'' though he predicted, ``No matter what we craft, it's going to be attacked both from the right and the left.''

Criticism came almost immediately from House Republicans Lamar Smith of Texas, his party's ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, and Peter King of New York, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee.

``This proposal would do lasting damage to the country, American workers, and the rule of law,'' Smith said. ``Amnesty puts lawbreakers ahead of those who are law-abiding, puts foreign workers ahead of American workers, and encourages even more illegal immigration.''

King said the measure ``will only serve to weaken the security of our homeland.''

To contact the reporters on this story: James Rowley in Washington at jarowley@bloomberg.net; Jay Newton-Small in Washington at jnewtonsmall@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 17, 2007 16:34 EDT