A fragile, bipartisan compromise for overhauling the nation’s immigration laws was unable to survive a vote this morning in the U.S. Senate, a development that is likely to postpone action on the hot-button issue until after the 2008 elections.

The bill’s supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage of the legislation, S 1348. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate. The bill suffered a similar vote three weeks ago.

After the vote, the majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, pulled the bill from consideration. The issue, he said, “will come back. It’s only a matter of when.”

Voting against limiting debate were Republicans, who said the bill granted amnesty for illegal behavior, and some Democrats, who opposed some of its restrictions and its emphasis on awarding visas based more on skills than on family connections.

The measure contained several provisions related to higher education, although they were not among the major reasons opponents cited for their disapproval. It included a plan to give college students who entered the United States illegally as children a clear path to receiving legal permanent status to remain in the country. The legislation also would have made it easier for states to charge some illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates, which are lower than the rates for nonresidents, at their public colleges.

Among other provisions in the overall bill, the process for issuing permanent visas would have been changed to give more preference than in the past to people who had earned advanced degrees and who had certain job skills that were in demand.

A similar effort in Congress failed last year, and the House of Representatives had been awaiting Senate action before considering its own legislation. —Karin Fischer