WASHINGTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush said on Thursday that he was disappointed that the Senate failed to reach agreement on a comprehensive immigration bill that could tighten the country's border and provide a path toward legal status of millions of illegal immigrants in the country.

    "Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people and Congress's failure to act on it is a disappointment," Bush said in a statement at the Naval War College, in Newport, Rhode Island.

    "The status quo is unacceptable when it comes to our immigration laws," he said.

    Key Lawmakers from both parties and the White House struck a deal in May to overhaul the country's immigration policies, but the Senate has failed twice to move the bill for final passage, a major defeat for Bush.

    "A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find a common ground -- it didn't work," Bush said.

U.S. President George W. Bush makes a statement on the Senate immigration bill to the press at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, June 28, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    Bush has called for reforming the country's immigration laws for years, and an overhaul of the immigration system would be seen as one of the major domestic achievements of his second-term administration.

    The Senate failed in a 46-53 vote on Thursday to limit debate on the immigration bill that would also punish employers for hiring illegal immigrants, establish a merit-based points system for future immigrants, and create a guest worker program.

    The Senate failed in a similar vote in early June to limit debate on the legislation, but Senate leaders agreed later to revive the bill after intensified efforts by the administration.

    The bill "would not work," Republican Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama, an opponent of the measure, said on Thursday.

    "Our analysis was that it would result in 8.7 million more people in the next 20 years here illegally," he said.

    Before the vote on Thursday, Bush made a last-minute effort to persuade lawmakers of his own party to render support for the bill, but the vote was 14 short of the 60 needed to move the bill for final passage.

    The vote was a "sad day for American," said Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York, a major supporter of the legislation.

    News reports said with the Senate failing to approve the bill on Thursday, it becomes increasingly unlikely that the Senate would take major actions on the bill before the general elections in 2008.