Coleman: Immigration reform a fed issue first

Dana Yost

Marshall Independent

U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman was in the front row in Cottonwood on Feb. 21 for a public memorial service for the victims of the Lakeview School bus crash.

His office has also received several phone calls and e-mails from people angry that an alleged illegal alien drove the van that struck the bus on Feb. 19.

In an interview with the Independent on Thursday arranged before the bus crash , Coleman said it remains important to separate the grief over the loss of four students and the immigration issue — although he said the nation's immigration system is a "broken" one.