Illegal immigrants in the Bronx and the rest of the country may soon be able to stay in the U.S. and eventually gain citizenship.A bipartisan group of senators reached a deal on the bill Thursday. The bill would give about 12 million immigrants already in the country a path to citizenship. The proposal also calls for a guest worker program and mandates tougher border security and workplace enforcement. lllegal immigrants could step forward immediately, but would not be able to get visas or begin their path to citizenship until security measures were put in place. Individuals seeking citizenship would also have to pay fees and fines totaling $5,000.Those against the bill are calling it an amnesty program. They say it would reward the millions of illegal immigrants with a way of of staying legally in the country without being punished.

AP wire reports contributed to parts of this story.