The bipartisan immigration reform bill in the Senate cleared yet another procedural hurdle today More than two dozen Republicans joined with Democrats to close debate on the Hoeven-Corker amendment.

The Republican-sponsored amendment increases funding for border security by billions of dollars, adds 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border and provides for an additional 20,000 border patrol agents along what Republican Senator and immigration reform backer Lindsey Graham happily called a "militarized" border.

Anti-immigration stalwarts like Ted Cruz of Texas and Jess Sessions of Alabama voted "no" on cloture, joined by peers motivated by intransigence like minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Moderate Republicans, such as Graham, Marco Rubio of Florida and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire voted "yes," though that does not guarantee their support of the final bill.

It does, however, likely mean the amendment will pass when it finally comes up for a vote. It is a clear sign of Democrats' desire to pass immigration reform that there is essentially no opposition to the amendment, when in previous months an expenditure of this magnitude would have brought down calls of waste.

 That moderate Republicans and fiscal hawks are happily voting in favor of billions in equipment also signals their desire to get more of their party on board, in the hopes of preventing widespread alienation of Hispanics in 2016.