U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl secured an agreement with Senate Democrats to pump up the Department of Homeland Security’s budget by $3 billion for immigration enforcement measures Wednesday.

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His next step is to propose separate legislation that will spell out how to spend the money. The Arizona Republican plans to introduce that bill before the Senate’s summer recess starts on Aug. 4.

The Senate, House and president still must give final approval to both portions of the package before the first new mile of border fencing can be built. However, Wednesday’s development was an important step that indicates a willingness by lawmakers to take an enforcement-first approach to immigration reform.

The Senate was expected to vote on the Homeland Security funding legislation either late Wednesday night or today.

Kyl, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and several other Republicans broached the idea by introducing an amendment they called the “Border Security First Act” to the Homeland Security appropriations bill.

Senate Democrats led a charge to defeat the amendment 52-44 on the basis that it wasn’t relevant to an appropriations bill because it included language on how to spend the money. Afterward, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked for unanimous consent on the funding portion of the bill.

“So there will be $3 billion that will be added to the bill for Border Patrol, detention spaces, more ICE agents and all those other things,” Kyl said.

Kyl’s immigration enforcement bill, which he has yet to introduce, will include all of the immigration enforcement measures that were struck down Wednesday, plus additional enforcement measures, he said.

Kyl’s new legislation will include measures to improve the nation’s employment verification system.

“Why is that important? The state of Arizona just passed a law, the governor signed it, that has Arizona employers using it. So we want to make sure that it’s very user-friendly. Oklahoma has done something similar and I’m sure other states will follow suit,” Kyl said.

An upgraded system, which carries a $60 million price tag, would make it easier for employers to check the legal status of potential employees.

Other provisions will require Homeland Security agents to detain foreign nationals who willfully stay even after their visas expire; and will increase criminal penalties and set mandatory minimum prison sentences for foreign nationals who have been removed and illegally re-enter the country.

Kyl said virtually every Senate member has expressed an interest in passing legislation to tighten border security.

But Arizona immigration reform activist Elías Bermúdez felt Wednesday’s developments were positive — provided lawmakers create a guest worker program for foreign nationals and give legal status to illegal immigrants already living in the United States.

“If that has been the obstacle for a lot of people to support some type of legalization for the rest of the people, then let’s move on it,” Bermúdez said. “If (Kyl) is willing to do that, I hope he gets the support of the rest of the Congress.”

Arizona Republican Party chairman Randy Pullen similarly called the developments a move in the right direction, but cautioned Americans will want to see border security in place and working before entertaining serious discussion about legalization or guest worker programs.

“I think they got the message, that it got through to just about everybody in Congress, that Americans are serious about wanting the border secured,” he said.

The highlights of the border security legislation and amendment include:

• 23,000 new U.S. Border Patrol agents.

• 700 miles of new fence along the border.

• 300 miles of new vehicle barriers along the border.

• Four unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles.

• 105 ground-based radar and camera towers.

• 45,000 detention beds for captured illegal border crossers.