The immigration issue resonates in in border states and in others farther inland.

-- Arizona Senator John McCain, campaigning in Iowa, claimed that the Congress failed to pass immigration legislation because they had lost the faith of the American people on this and on other key issues of the day.

McCain reiterated his support for the failed immigration bill that was backed by the White House and pressed for a combination of guest worker visas, targeting fencing and high tech surveillance as a way of stopping the flow of illegal immigrants.

McCain also said the U.S. needed to refocus on the drug war as part of the broader task of securing the borders.

-- In Missouri, Governor Matt Blunt announced plans to target illegal immigrants and their employers . Among the measures announced:

• Blunt will deputize approximately two dozen members of the Missouri Highway Patrol as Federal Immigration Officers;
• Companies that receive state contracts will also be suspect to random immigration checks to see if they employ illegal labor.

The Governor's office denied the measures would lead to illegal profiling but local Hispanic groups think legal residents could face harassment.

"It's a civil rights, social justice issue," said Rita Valenciano of Kansas City's Coalition of Hispanic Organizations. "I think the reality is that there might be some detaining, some documentation required of people who have been here all their lives."

-- The city of Manassas, Virginia may soon vote on a resolution that would deny public services to illegal immigrants and strengthen immigration enforcement .

Manassas is one of several Northern Virginia cities or counties that have passed or that are considering anti-immigration measures. Most if not all have faced an influx of immigrants over the past decade . Manassas Park was recently classified as a majority-minority county, while neighboring Prince William County saw its minority population swell from 35% in 2000 to 48% last year.