The issue focused on the fact that the federal government is unable to enforce its own immigration law.

"The federal government is not able to enforce the immigration law as Congress has written it and as judges have interpreted it," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee in the bill.

She said the federal government has already issued guidance about how it will comply with the law and said the bill would "create more uncertainty" because of the lack of a uniform