Two-thirds of senators to vote on U.S.-Mexico border without having seen it.

Doesn’t suprise me at all. . . .disgusts me more then anything.

Border security is a key sticking point in this year’s immigration debate, but only a little more than one-third of senators have been to the southwestern border during their time in office to get a firsthand look at the security situation, according to a survey of the chamber’s members by The Washington Times.

Of 100 senators, 34 said they have been down to observe the border, 64 senators have not, and two — the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which is writing the bill, and the chamber’s Republican leader — refused to answer.

Committee Members

Patrick J. Leahy Chairman, D-Vermont Biography
Dianne Feinstein D-California Biography	Chuck GrassleyRanking Member, R-IowaBiography
Chuck Schumer D-New York Biography	Orrin G. HatchR-UtahBiography
Dick DurbinD-Illinois Biography	Jeff Sessions R-Alabama Biography
Sheldon Whitehouse D-Rhode Island Biography	Lindsey Graham R-South Carolina Biography
Amy KlobucharD-MinnesotaBiography	John Cornyn R-Texas Biography
Al Franken D-Minnesota Biography	Michael S. Lee R-Utah Biography
Christopher A. CoonsD-Delaware Biography	Ted Cruz R-Texas Biography
Richard Blumenthal D-Connecticut Biography	Jeff FlakeR-ArizonaBiography
Mazie HironoD-HawaiiBiography

Those on all sides of the immigration debate agree that chances for passing a bill legalizing illegal immigrants and overhauling the legal system hinges on whether voters think the border is secure.

President Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano have said the border is secure and that the only way to improve it is to legalize illegal immigrants, which they argue will help authorities focus on illegal crossings and major criminals.

But lawmakers journeying to the border to see for themselves often come back with a different impression.

“It doesn’t help when you have the Department of Homeland Security secretary testifying that the border is already secure, and yet you have senators returning from weekend visits to the border as recently as this weekend and telling us that they personally witness people crossing, including people from as far away as Afghanistan,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who made a high-profile visit to the El Paso, Texas, segment of the border this year.

“There is a real concern about those things and we’ve got to address that. If we can address that, we will have immigration reform. If we cannot, this will be another failed effort,” he said.Read more: 

Photo by: Eduardo Verdugo ** FILE ** Migrants ride on top of a northern bound train toward the U.S.-Mexico border in Juchitan, southern Mexico, Monday, April 29, 2013. Migrants crossing Mexico to get to the U.S. have increasingly become targets of criminal gangs who kidnap them to obtain ransom money. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)