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WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats and Republicans came together on July 26 to devote an additional $3 billion to gaining control over the U.S.-Mexico border, putting Congress on a path to override President Bush's promised veto of a $38 billion homeland security funding bill.

The deal resurrects a GOP plan launched Wednesday to pass some of the most popular elements of Bush's failed immigration bill, including money for additional Border Patrol agents and fencing along the southern border.

Democrats liked the money but objected to such GOP proposals as allowing law enforcement officers to question people about their immigration status and cracking down on those who overstay their visas.

After some parliamentary fireworks Wednesday, efforts to advance a compromise containing only the border security money broke down.

But Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, and Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn resolved their differences overnight and announced an agreement on July 26. Cornyn won a promise to have some of the money used to go after immigrants who had entered the United States legally but had overstayed their visas.

The measure is opposed by the White House, top Republicans said, and it clearly puts the president in a box. Bush had already promised a veto of the underlying homeland security bill for spending $2.3 billion more than he requested.

Now, Bush's GOP stalwarts in Congress such as New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg are poised to override the president's veto.

Cornyn predicted the overall bill would "pass by a veto-proof margin."