The inability of so many people coming to the United States to obtain work visas has always been a primary driver of illegal immigration. I simply introduced an amendment that would have finally made our worker visa program —, well, work — but Senate Democrats prevented a vote.

The authors of the current bill gloss over these core immigration issues by saying they will simply put more people on the border. This is like using a Band-Aid to cure a cold, and further shows Washington’s ignorance of the deep, systematic flaws that have contributed to our immigration dilemma.

It is now up to the House to champion real immigration reform. If we’re going to fix our broken borders and overhaul the system, the House will have to lead the way; the Senate version has simply failed to address our immigration problem with any competence.

Voters have noticed. A Rasmussen poll released Monday indicated that only 28 percent of Americans believe the federal government will secure the border if the current immigration bill passes.