While Some See Compromise, Senate Immigration Bill Punishes Undocumented Immigrants

We take a look at the Senate immigration bill, which is expected to be voted on as early as today. The bill, which has caused much debate in Congress, would heighten enforcement measures, establish a temporary guest worker program, punish employers who hire undocumented immigrants and open a route to citizenship for at least some undocumented immigrants. But many immigrant advocates point to a number of adverse provisions in the bill that they say will actually bar millions from legalization, threaten their civil liberties and declare English the country's national language.

If passed, the Senate bill would have to be reconciled with the draconian Sensenbrenner bill passed by the House in December. That bill focuses strictly on enforcement and would consider undocumented immigrants to be felons. It would also make it a crime for priests, nuns, health care workers and other social workers to offer help to undocumented immigrants. The passage of the Sensenbrenner Bill sparked the massive protests in support of immigrant rights that recently took place around the country

To discuss this legislation we host a roundtable discussion:

* Stan Mark, program director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
* Steven Forester, senior policy advocate for Haitian Women of Miami

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/25/1413209