The Texas Republican’s timeline, however, will work only if lawmakers can agree on the most basic aspects of reform, and chances of that are far from certain.

Congressional leaders had originally hoped to begin airing views on immigration law changes this fall. But Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as the need to confirm two Supreme Court justices, crowded out consideration of several issues, including immigration.

The discussion began this week when Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao testified on immigration before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“The federal government has been missing in action for a long, long time” on the problem of illegal immigration, Cornyn, who chairs the panel’s immigration subcommittee, told Houston Chronicle’s Washington Bureau. “I am glad that we are at this point. We are a lot farther along than many people expected us to be.”

Still, scheduling is hardly the biggest obstacle.

Lawmakers, especially Republicans, are split on various aspects of immigration reform, with some angling for tough controls and others favoring greater leniency so that U.S. businesses can hire low-wage workers.

In addition to the philosophical divides, 2006 is an election year for every House member and one-third of the Senate’s membership, a factor that makes the odds of significant overhaul exceptionally slim.

Regardless, many lawmakers appear intent on diving in. One of the first issues to resolve is whether to initially focus on border security and leave larger questions, such as a guest worker program, for a later time.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee told the Washington Times that border security is “an immediate issue” that “needs to be addressed more aggressively.”

Cornyn, who introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill this summer with Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said Frist’s comments were surprising and added that “enforcement alone will not solve” the problem.

Also last week, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said President George W. Bush has talked with congressional leaders about developing comprehensive immigration reform.

“We need to continue to take steps to strengthen our border and improve the interior enforcement of our immigration laws, and we need to move forward on a temporary worker program,” McClellan said.

Publicly, Mr. Bush has said little about immigration reform since January 2004 when he proposed a temporary worker program that immediately met with wide-ranging skepticism.

But Cornyn expects the White House to weigh in once Congress has offered a plan. One tricky issue will be how to deal with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country.

“[The administration] may well see fit to let the Congress work that out and try to influence it in the process,” Cornyn said.

But Hearst Newspapers in San Antonio, Texas reported that conservative Republicans are about to head in the opposite direction with legislation to crack down on undocumented immigrants and companies that employ them, Hearst said.

“Political momentum has changed in our favor,” said Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who leads a group of more than 80 House lawmakers who generally oppose expanding immigration.

Conservative Republicans have vowed to block any initiative that would give work visas to immigrants in the country illegally — even if the permits are good only temporarily.