WASHINGTON -- The Senate Judiciary Committee approved election-year immigration reform legislation Monday, setting the stage for what many believe will be a tough and emotional battle on the Senate floor Tuesday.

The Senate bill would strengthen the U.S. Border Patrol and create new opportunities for so-called guest workers.

After days of street demonstrations that stretched from California to the gounds of the U.S. Capitol, the committee also voted to strip out proposed criminal penalties recommended in a House version of the bill for residents found to be in the country illegally.

On Monday, about 5,000 people marched marched toward the federal courthouse in downtown Detroit.

They also gathered in front of the offices of U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, and in front of the WDIV-TV studios, the television station reported.

The protesters, whom police described as peaceful, carried flags from the United States and from countries of their origin.

"What crimes have they done? They are the hardworking people that are essential to this economy. And if they are deported, what would happen to our economy?" asked protester Sister Julie Slowik of St. Anne's Church.

"Secondly, anybody who would be helping the undocumented people in any way -- service agencies, churches -- with food, clothing, medical help, any humanitarian help, would also be considered felons."

President George W. Bush used a naturalization ceremony in Philadelphia on Monday to ask that the immigration debate be conducted in a civil and decent way. He heads to Mexico later this week for meetings with Mexican President Vicente Fox.

In Los Angeles, students walked out of class to protest the House bill.

White House Priorities Outlined

Bush said Monday that the country should reform immigration laws so that they meet the needs of the 21st century.

Speaking at a naturalization ceremony in Philadelphia, he also said that, "Nobody benefits when illegal immigrants live in the shadows of society."

First, the border needs to be secure. "Terrorists crossing the border could create destruction on a massive scale," Bush said.

He said the U.S. Border Patrol is being provided with cutting-edge technologies and protective infrastructures to prevent people from crossing the border illegally.

"Our objective is to keep the border open to trade and tourism and closed to criminals and drug dealers and terrorists," Bush said.

Second, while suspected smugglers, terrorists, gang members and human traffickers must be caught and prosecuted, immigration laws within the United States need to be reformed, Bush said.

Bush wants Congress to create a guest worker program that would let foreigners gain legal status for a set amount of time to do specific jobs.

Bush said he wants tamper-proof ID cards to keep track of temporary workers in the country on a legal basis. Such a program would not represent amnesty for those who are in the country illegally now.

Workers should be able to register to work legally for a temporary basis. If they want citizenship, they need to get in line.

"A temporary worker program is vital to securing our border," Bush said.

At the same time, he is urging Congress to increase the number of green cards that can lead to citizenship, Bush said. "America is a nation of immigrants and we’re also a nation of laws. All of you are here because you followed the rules and you waited your turn in the citizenship line."

He said his proposals would cut down on the need for would-be illegal immigrants to contract with human smugglers, a journey that can be dangerous at best.

Bush also stressed the need for uniformity in how detained illegal immigrants are processed.

More than 85 percent of the illegal immigrants caught in the United States are from Mexico and are sent home immediately, the president told the crowd.

But he said illegal immigrants from other countries are released and sent back into U.S. society in a “catch-and-release program” and given court dates.

Those people rarely show up for their court hearings, Bush said. His administration wants them returned home more quickly. Since last summer, the United States has cut the number of non-Mexican immigrants released into society by a third, he said.