Mike, yep - I am shocked.
But in a good way - glad to have you on this one.
I really wonder what is wrong with the laws that we already have defining the process and the penalties. The executive branch has the obligation to enforce the laws as passed by Congress. The existing structure in place to enforce the existing laws was obviously overwhelmed. So the way to fix this mess is to bolster the existing structure - more immigration officers, more border patrol, more fences (including the one that was never finished).
Clinton did some work on this - he had a 35% increase in border patrol between '92 and '96, and deported about 30K. During the tail end of his adminsitration the GOP Congress passed a few good improvements regarding immigration and border patrol. The laws stated that those improvements were to be completed by 2003. Even if Clinton did nothing during the rest of his presidency - Bush still had the obligation to enforce the law.
Ron, yep Bush does not give a dam about what we want because he owes more to those who financed him than the people who elected him.
Steve