Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama is playing the same role in opposition to a sweeping immigration bill that he was in during the presidency of George W. Bush.
Republican leadership argues the bill is critical to any chance for a national comeback for the party out of power in Washington.
The Republican lawmaker says the legislation headed for passage in the Senate would cost the nation jobs and depress wages. He says it's not paid for and it would not guarantee better border enforcement.
The 66-year-old former prosecutor used a similar approach to help defeat an immigration overhaul backed by Bush in 2006 and 2007. Now, Sessions is again a leading opponent of a bill that faces long odds of getting through the GOP-led House.