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WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush on Saturday signalled his opposition to granting American citizenship to those who had crossed the US border illegally after a Republican-sponsored immigration reform plan collapsed in the US Senate.

"We must ensure that those who break our laws are not granted an automatic path to citizenship," Bush said in his weekly radio address.

The comment places Bush at odds with two key proposals considered by the Senate over the past two weeks, which offer legalization - and eventual citizenship - to all or most of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States.

Under a measure introduced by Democrat Edward Kennedy and Republican John McCain, the undocumented workers already in the country would have been be allowed to apply for temporary legal status for six years, pay a 2,000-dollar fine, and apply for citizenship following a background check and an English language test.

When it became apparent that this proposal would not get enough votes, Republican Senators Chuck Hagel and Mel Martinez came up with a compromise that divides all illegals into three categories.

Under their plan, those who have been in the United States for five or more years would qualify for a work visa and an opportunity to apply for citizenship. Those with less than two years of residency would be asked to leave while the rest would be able to participate in a future guest worker program.

The Hagel-Martinez compromise collapsed amid bitter recrimination on Friday after Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid moved to drastically limit the number allowed to the floor and then supporters of the measure failed to muster the votes to cut off debate. The president has not formally endorsed either of the bills.

But White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush believed that all those who have crossed the border illegally have broken the law.

"We have said it for a while ... that he believes that people who have gone into the country illegally should not have an automatic path to citizenship," Perino told AFP.

She said the president believed that the estimated 11 million illegal aliens currently in the country "would need to get in line behind people" waiting to settle in the United States lawfully.

But Perino stopped short of saying Bush would demand that illegal immigrants return to their home countries, saying "those details are being worked out."

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