By Jill Morrison
Buffalo, NY – The US House of Representatives is divided over immigration and border security reform. Debate over the bill spilled into its second day Friday. New York state lawmakers say there's little in the legislation aimed at improving northern border issues.
Democratic Congresswoman Louise Slaughter says she's not impressed with the Republican-led effort to reform immigration policy and border security.
"It's the mother of all unfunded mandates," Slaughter said. "It requires employers to certify that everyone working for them is legal and the paperwork is going to be extraordinary."
The bill also stiffens penalties for smuggling immigrants into the US. Overstaying a visa would become a felony rather than a civil offense in this bill. But Democratic Buffalo Congressman Brian Higgins says the bill's border security provisions focus too much on the southern border.
"We have a whole other set of problems at the northern border particularly at the Peace Bridge in Western New York between Ontario and Western New York," Higgins said. "I think what we need is a coordinated approach to shared border management at the Peace Bridge to increase or promote the effective flow of commerce between the United States and Canada."
Republicans in the House are also split on the bill. They met for an emergency strategy session in the basement of the Capitol Thursday. After a few hours, a deal was reached allowing over 100 amendments to be introduced.