WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration activists on Friday rejected the idea of granting legal status short of citizenship to illegal immigrants in emerging legislation. The activists said that only citizenship would be acceptable for the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants and that the compromise idea floated by some House Republicans, offering legalization but not citizenship, won't work.

Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, said allowing illegal immigrants to legalize their status without the prospect of citizenship would "create an institutionalized group of second-class non-citizens."

"When we've said to a whole group of people, 'You're good enough to work here but not good enough to be one of us,' it hasn't worked out well," Sharry said on a conference call with other activists to urge swift action on comprehensive immigration legislation.