Senator Graham says secure the border first, then take up immigration reform

But the Obama administration has stopped construction on the "virtual fence" that was promised after the last attempt at immigration reform. Meanwhile, Phoenix has become the kidnapping capital of the United States, and still the federal government shows no interest in enforcing its own laws.

Here's Senator Graham, via The Hill:

“If immigration comes up this year, it will be absolutely devastating to this issue” and future passage of a comprehensive bill, Graham insisted. “Most Americans think we will have lost our minds if we move forward without securing our border first.”

Graham argued that the drug war raging at the Mexican border needs to be addressed first; then, he said, Congress can act.

“I believe we can do it by 2012 if we’re smart and address the big elephant in the room — the borders are not secure and there’s a [drug] war going on,” he said.