Issue: Should Billions Be Spent on Tighter Borders or Faster Ports?

The Senate passed an immigration reform bill Thursday that includes a road to citizenship for millions, but the GOP-controlled House vowed some roadblocks.

“I doubt this bill can [pass in the House], but hopefully the issue can,” Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia told Huffington Post. Echoed Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri: “I also don’t think this is a bill that will pass the House of Representatives.”

Meanwhile, outside observers are chiming in on details of the bill, such as Denise Moreno Ducheny of Imperial Beach, the former state senator who wrote in Patch: “The best long-term deterrent to the many who have sought employment in the U.S. by skirting the current strict quota system is to improve the economy of the North American region.”

She called for major improvements in the Ports of Entry at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, saying: “Underfunding the important work done at every airport, seaport and land Port of Entry by not fully staffing these facilities is counterproductive.”

Aside from major elements, should immigration reform include efforts to improve Mexico’s economy (and our own via faster border crossings)? Or should billions of dollars be steered mainly to securing the border? Share your thoughts in the comments.