Dems say GOP approach to immigration is 'wimpy'

(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

published 21 January 2015

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has labeled the immigration reform bill the House is looking to bring to the floor for a vote next week "the most significant and toughest border security bill ever set before Congress," but members from both sides of the aisle say the legislation doesn't pass muster.

"This is a horror of a bill," Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) told The Hill. "The cost is enormous, and it's just impossible for the Homeland Security Department, I believe, to even engage in some of the responsibilities being asked for."

According to The Hill, McCaul's bill is "designed to secure the southern border by requiring the Homeland Security Department to block all illegal migrations within five years, or two years for high-traffic regions." But some lawmakers like Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) say that the bill is more than just difficult to implement — it's also just bad policy. "This needs a big fix, and tinkering on the edges doesn't solve it," Becerra said. "And trying to avoid dealing with the tough issues is a wimpy way to make policy in Washington, D.C."