Associated Press

BOISE - Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador is heaping high praise on the job being done by federal agents responsible for securing the nation's border with Mexico.

But after an official border security tour that featured stops in California and Arizona, the first-term Republican also believes it's time for state and local law enforcement to play a bigger role in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Labrador said boats, drones, fences, towers, tunnel detectors and border agents aren't enough to stymie illegal entry.

"You see all the money we're spending at the border, and the great job these men and women are doing," Labrador told The Idaho Statesman in a story published Wednesday.

"And they're still not stopping all the people coming in," he said. "It actually emphasizes the point I've been making: We still need to have really strong interior enforcement. We have to go beyond throwing resources at the border and think what we do in the interior."

Labrador said his border tour, which included five other congressmen, also cemented his opposition to the immigration bill passed by the U.S. Senate in June. The bill to secure the borders and create a path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants already in the country illegally cleared the chamber on a 68-32 vote with the help of 14 Republicans.

It includes $46 billion to bolster security by hiring almost 20,000 additional guards and building nearly 700 miles of fence.

But Labrador is critical of the legislation because it lacks any changes to clear the way for state and local law enforcement to get involved. Existing federal statute empowers only the federal government to enforce immigration laws.

The House Judiciary Committee adopted a bill granting enforcement powers to local law enforcement, but the idea is unpopular among Democrats in the Senate.