Congress blasted for not passing major immigration bills

After much talk and little action, Congress adjourned last week without implementing any major immigration reform before the Nov. 7 election.

The immigration debate came screeching to a halt this summer when lawmakers made little progress toward resolving differences between the House's measure to secure the borders and crack down on illegal immigrants and those who employ them; and the Senate bill, which would legalize many of the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

As of its adjournment Friday, Congress approved just one small enforcement measure — $1.2 billion to erect more fences and other barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, plus money for jails to detain illegal immigrants and hire 1,500 more border agents.

Republicans were hoping to have a much larger showpiece, a bill authorizing but not paying for fences along one-third of the 2,000-mile southern border. The House passed it two weeks ago.

A slate of recently passed House enforcement measures, including a bill to eventually require that voters show proof of citizenship at the polls and another to allow local law enforcement officers to enforce immigration laws, failed to gain traction in the Senate.

"The perception that has been painted mistakenly is that the United States government, our Congress is not delivering to the American people on a huge problem that's out there," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., told the Associated Press. "We're active."

U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, said the border enforcement funding will help strengthen the border, even if it wasn't a complete solution.

"This bill addresses one of the major concerns facing our country, the flow of illegal immigration," Cannon said. "This bill will help strengthen our borders, help enforce our laws, and provide funding for more border patrols."

However, while Republicans in Washington touted the steps as important security measures, local politicians and activists expressed disappointment at apparent federal inaction on more substantive measures.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano put together a resolution calling for bolstered border security and a guest-worker program. It was adopted earlier this year by the Western Governors' Association.

Mike Mower, Huntsman's spokesman, said while the border security funding is "a needed first step," he expressed disappointment that more hadn't been done and hope that the issue would be taken up again after November's election. "We recognize a more significant reform effort needs to be adopted and implemented," Mower said.