Senate votes down GOP border amendment WASHINGTON - The Senate has voted to kill a GOP measure preventing immigrants here illegally from taking the first steps toward citizenship until the U.S.-Mexico border has been under control for six months. The vote was 57 to 43 to defeat the measure offered by Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican. It was the first amendment voted on regarding the far-reaching legislation that would remake the U.S. immigration system and open the door to citizenship for millions. Supporters of the bill said Grassley's amendment would delay, possibly for years, the path to citizenship that's at the center of the bill. Grassley said it was needed to ensure that the bill makes good on its promise of enacting real border security.