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A federal judge barred the Bush administration Wednesday from launching a planned crackdown on U.S. firms that hire illegal immigrants, warning of its potentially "staggering" impact on law-abiding workers and companies. In a rebuke of the White House, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction against the president's plan to pressure employers to fire as many as 8.7 million workers with suspect Social Security numbers, starting this fall. President Bush made the effort the centerpiece of a reenergized enforcement drive against illegal immigration in August after the Senate rejected his proposal to overhaul immigration laws. But the ruling -- sought by major U.S. labor, business and farm organizations -- highlighted the chasm that the issue has opened between the Republican Party and its traditional business allies.