The brief “sense of Congress” resolution introduced by Sen. Reid Jan. 4 said Congress “should pass, and the President should sign, legislation to recognize the heritage of the United States as a nation of immigrants and to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for more effective border and employment enforcement, to prevent illegal immigration, and to reform and rationalize avenues for legal immigration.”

It was interpreted as a signal by the Senate leader to the Democratic controlled Cong ress to reintroduce a bill similar to the comprehensive immigration reform bill that failed to win approval in the last Congress.

The resolution said that the President should also provide the avenues for l  egal immigration or ways for people illegally in the US to legalize their status.