Congressman Bob Filner, human rights organizations and interfaith groups denounced the House Immigration Bill outside the federal building in downtown San Diego Wednesday. KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson has details.
Congressman Bob Filner voted against the bill. He says it is unrealistic and is pure political rhetoric aimed at making those who oppose it look soft on border enforcement. He says its also an easy way to shift the national focus off the administration's shortfalls.
Filner: "All they wanted to do was take our minds off education and health care and the war in Iraq and say immigrants are the cause of all our problems."
Filner says any serious immigration reform must offer the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country a path to legalization. And he says the United States should help Mexico create jobs.
Filner: "If Mexico was building a couple million more jobs a year, there wouldn't be this problem."
Filner says investing in Mexico's economy would cost less than proposed enforcement measures and would actually improve national security. Amy Isackson, KPBS news.
