Yuma, Ariz. ? President Bush’s motorcade barreled down a dusty road Monday between two new walls of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bush boasted of tougher enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border as he tried to resurrect his stalled efforts to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws over strong opposition from many of his fellow Republicans in Congress.

Frustrated by his failure to get a bill approved last year when the GOP was in charge, Bush said prospects look brighter in the Democratic Congress. “I think the atmosphere up there is good right now,” he said.

His message – particularly to conservative critics from his own party – was that stepped-up border enforcement is working and it’s time to adopt a temporary worker program, hold U.S. employers accountable for the workers they hire and resolve the status of the millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States.

He saluted the opening of a new border patrol station in this southwest corner of Arizona and said, “This border is more secure and America is safer as a result.”

The president was joined by Sen. Jon Kyl, the Arizona Republican whose support is crucial to any deal in the Congress. Another lawmaker vital to Bush’s effort, Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, issued a statement that said: “President Bush did the right thing today by speaking out.”

“Only a bipartisan bill will become law,” Kennedy said. “There is a lot of common ground, especially in the need to strengthen our borders and enforce our laws, though important differences remain to be resolved.”

Administration officials led by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez have been meeting privately for weeks with Republican senators in search of compromise. That expanded to a meeting in late March with key senators from both parties. The administration floated a proposal that would make it harder for millions of illegal immigrants to gain citizenship than under legislation passed by the Senate last year.

Contending that tougher enforcement is paying off, Bush said: “The number of people apprehended for illegally crossing our southern border is down by nearly 30 percent this year. We’re making progress.”