From the Miami Herald:

Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., on Tuesday filed the first comprehensive immigration reform bill in the current Congress, giving renewed hope to millions of undocumented immigrants in South Florida and around the country.

But the prospects for passage remain as uncertain as ever.

One of the problems is that Gutierrez's bill is decidedly liberal and, critics say, will cripple current efforts at fashioning a truly bipartisan solution:

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., who supports immigration reform, criticized Gutierrez's bill because it disrupts efforts by him and a group of bipartisan lawmakers drafting a separate immigration reform bill.

``This effort today, a showhorse not workhorse effort, is throwing a hand grenade into the midst of the bipartisan efforts,'' said Diaz-Balart.

Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., echoed his brother saying Gutierrez's bill ``will probably destroy the chances of passing any real reform.''

If Speaker Pelosi chooses to push Gutierrez's bill instead of backing a serious bipartisan effort, it looks like immigration reforms could have all the makings of a rerun of the health care mess.

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