Congressional representatives from the Akron area and the candidates challenging them in November have mixed reviews to President Bush's plans for dealing with illegal immigration.

The president Monday laid out a plan for dealing with illegal immigrants, which includes deploying 6,000 National Guard troops on the Mexican border.

U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Avon, who is leaving his 13th District seat to run for the U.S. Senate, blasted the president's plan, saying the White House and the Republican-controlled Congress have failed to fully fund homeland security.

``In failing to provide oversight of the White House, Republicans in Congress have aided in weakening our homeland security efforts,'' he Brown said in a statement. ``Now the president wants to burden state resources already stretched dangerously thin.''

Brown noted that the December 2004 report of the 9/11 Commission said the U.S. needed to add at least 2,000 border patrol agents per year for the next 10 years to meet the nation's homeland security needs, but Bushrequested money in the federal budget for just 200 new agents in 2006, and 1,500 in 2007.

``Under the Bush administration, illegal immigration has worsened,'' Brown said. ``Republicans have cut homeland security funding, destroyed FEMA, dismantled border patrol operations, and overextended National Guard forces across the country. Once again, their answer is more of the same.''

...DeWine, who was flying to Washington from Ohio Monday night, was unavailable to discuss the president's speech. But a spokesman said he wanted to take a "hard look" at deployment of the Guard along the border because the Guard is "already stretched thin."

At least one Ohio Democratic lawmaker pounced on the speech.

"Under the Bush administration, illegal immigration has worsened," said Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Avon, in a prepared statement. "Republicans have cut homeland security funding, destroyed FEMA, dismantled border patrol operations and overextended National Guard forces across the country."

Brown, who is challenging DeWine in the Senate race this fall, criticized Bush for requesting only 200 additional border patrol agents in 2006 and 1,500 for 2007, even though a commission that studied the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack recommended adding 2,000 more agents each year.

"Now the president wants to burden state resources already stretched dangerously thin," he said. "We must stand up to the president on behalf of the safety of Ohio families."