An agreement over a sweeping overhaul of immigration law reached by a bipartisan group of leading senators has quickly drawn its critics.

The outline of the plan covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country.

The deal, expected to be announced later this afternoon, has a long way to go before the thorny details are worked out. But the development heralds the start of what could be the most significant effort in years toward overhauling the nation's inefficient patchwork of immigration laws.

It is already drawing critics who say it will add an incalculable financial toll on America.