On Thursday, Putnam said the House wanted to restore confidence in the government's ability to secure the border before addressing labor needs. But with oranges left unpicked because of labor shortages last year and the new harvest season approaching, he said he didn't "see any way to get this resolved before the fall harvest."
Democrats in both chambers dismissed the border measures as a political ploy, particularly considering that the House had already passed many of their provisions, including the fencing requirement.
"I think it's sad when House leadership has sought to take an important issue and turn it into a political platform," said Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), who noted that thorny issues such as Medicare, Iraq and the Gulf Coast hurricane recovery were getting little attention from the GOP.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) accused House Republicans of using immigration as a scare tactic, conflating terrorists with immigrants looking for work so that Americans would think that "Osama bin Laden is heading north in a sombrero."
nicole.gaouette@latimes.com
