Cannon, Jacob clash over immigration

OREM — With just more than two weeks to go until the Republican primary, growing tension between Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, and 3rd Congressional District challenger John Jacob was evident Saturday afternoon during their first public debate.

Jacob attacked Cannon repeatedly on illegal immigration during the Citizens' Resource voter expo at Utah Valley State College, saying the number of illegal immigrants in the United States has risen from 5 million to at least 12 million during Cannon's five terms in Congress.

"You've been there for 10 years, and you've not been effective," Jacob began, talking to Cannon, who sat at Jacob's right elbow.

Cannon said he helped double funding for border security and has worked on appropriations bills that would have added 2,000 border-patrol agents a year only to have President Bush refuse to do it.

"If you want to throw the bums out, you can do that," Cannon replied, but he added that Utah National Guardsman are now among those building walls on the border and that solving complex illegal immigration problems is tougher than saying the U.S. government should control the border with Mexico.

Visibly frustrated, Jacob said, "When you talked about throwing the bums out — I'm just working on one right now."

Cannon said he'd tried to be gracious but shrugged off the play on words as Jacob supporters cheered and Cannon supporters jeered.

The candidates admitted they agree on most issues, from education to energy to health care.

"The real issue is who will be more effective," Cannon said, and he emphasized the positions he has earned in the past decade, including his chairmanship of the Western Caucus and the House Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.

Jacob appealed to voters disgruntled with Cannon or Congress or both.

"If you want a change, vote for me," Jacob said. "If you want things to stay the same, vote for Chris."

But illegal immigration dominated the 70-minute debate.

Jacob tried to pin an unpopular Senate bill that includes a path to citizenship for illegals to Cannon, but Cannon condemned that bill and its House companion.

"That path-to-citizenship is not going to happen because I worked to stop it," Cannon said. He said illegal immigration is a "cancer eating a the core and fiber of the American being."