Border Governors Not Invited to White House Meeting on Immigration Reform

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," April 19, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Did you hear what is going on in Washington? President Obama is talking about immigration reform. The president held a meeting today at the White House to discuss the broken immigration system. He met with a bipartisan group. Guess what, he didn't invite any governors from border states. Why not?

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer joins us live from Phoenix. Governor, did you miss your invitation? Did you decline your invitation? Why weren't you here at the White House to talk about immigration reform?

GOV. JAN BREWER, R-ARIZ.: I wish I would have been invited. No, I do not -- I did not get an invite. You would have thought one of the governors would have been invited since we are on the frontlines fighting for security there. It was a little bit of a snub, if you will. I think that on behalf of myself, I think I could have added insight to the situation that Arizona certainly is facing.

VAN SUSTEREN: I looked at the White House press release. Of the people who were invited -- the category of those -- it says stakeholders expected to attend. I looked up stakeholders to see whether you might be a stakeholder or Governor Rick Perry. It says a person or group that has investment share or interest in something as in the business or industry. I guess it is someone who has a strong interest in the topic. He must think you don't have any interest in the issue or you would have been invited.

BREWER: That is very unfortunate if that's what he believes. I feel Arizona, I believe I and Rick Perry and certainly the governors on the border have been leading the fight. We've been bringing the message to America. And I think that we should have been afforded that opportunity to be at the table to help him understand the situation that we want straightened out.

VAN SUSTEREN: Let me tell you who he did think was a stakeholder and has a huge interest in this partial list -- Mayor Bloomberg, who of course is the mayor who sent investigators down to Arizona to investigate you about guns, your state, the former police chief of New York Bill Brown, Secretary Michael Chertoff, former secretary of Homeland Security.

Then he invited Senator Mel Martinez, former United States senator. Here's another interesting one, Greg Page chairman and CEO of Cargill. I thought that's an odd one. I understand why, because Cargill was raided in 2007 by immigration and ice for violations having to do with immigration. They probably have the inside scoop on that one.

Al Sharpton was invited. The CEO of Facebook, another one. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California not the current governor, and Richard Trumka, who is AFL-CIO union leader. Those are some of the people that the president thinks has a greater interest than you do.

BREWER: That's an unfortunate list as far as I'm concerned. I didn't know he had extended the invitation that this meeting was going to take place.

But it seems by the list and what has been reported back to me this afternoon it is people that looking at that wonderful word "comprehensive immigration reform." It has nothing to do with what we really need to have done, and that is to get our borders secured.

I think they are looking to try to talk about amnesty and all these other issues and the dream act. None of these things in my opinion are going to take place until we get our borders secured. I don't think the American people want to address anything until we feel secure. Our citizens need to feel secure in their homes. It just continues to grow with the issue of people coming across our borders illegal, the drug cartels.

VAN SUSTEREN: I may disagree with you a little bit. I would like a solution that is complete and which protects our borders, protects Americans and handles all the issues. I would like to see it put behind us. I to the president's speech at American university last summer to hear it. I did want to hear what he said he was going to do.

We haven't heard anything. He a Democratic house and Senate we don't hear anything until now as he gets ready to launch his campaign. And now things have changed. Now we are hearing it again. I'm deeply disturbed. I think this is talk. I think his guest list supports that because this is not bringing people to the table who have real interests in this.

BREWER: I absolutely agree with you. The bottom line is that he has a different agenda than what the American people have. Unfortunately, we keep talking and we keep contacting him with our concerns, really no response, no concern. Of course now we are in the election period so we now he's going to be standing up and talking about he's going to do this and that. He's had two years to deliver what he promised two years ago and hasn't delivered.

So we want our borders secured. I truly believe that the majority of us are not going to discuss anything else in regards to what his agenda is, until we get satisfaction with security at our borders.

VAN SUSTEREN: I just wish he would invite everybody to the table to discuss it, your issue, others. I know Senator Kyl, Senator McCain both senators from your state, they've come up with programs. When you're totally excluded, don't kid us that you have a genuine interest in resolving it comprehensively if you don't include everybody.

BREWER: Well, that's exactly how I feel. I'm a little bit offended. I think that I put my name out there. I put my career out there. I've been fighting hard for the people of Arizona in regards to this. I believe I've been relentless. And I think I have a lot to offer. I'm going to speak for the people.

And if we could sit down and discuss these things, we could get the solutions, maybe we could get something implemented. And it is what I told him when I visited with him. We have to agree to disagree. I'm not interested in a lot of solutions until we get our borders secured. It's simple. And not having been invited today was truly a snub. It was a snub.

VAN SUSTEREN: And governor, thank you very much. I would like a comprehensive solution that means talking to everybody and not just to friends. Governor, thank you.

BREWER: Thank you, Greta.