Bernie Sanders on immigration bill

Longtime Independent Vermont Congressman, and now newly-minted Senator Bernie Sanders is as usual viewing potential legislation being considered on the Hill frm the perspective of Middle Class America. As he explains in The Hill's Congress Blog, he is opposed to the bill not because it is to lax on lenient in terms of homeland security, or say the human rights of would-be immigrants, but rather because its passage into law would depress US workers' wages.

Here's his short post:

I am sympathetic to the goal of strengthening our borders and holding employers accountable when they hire illegal immigrants. I also believe that we must develop a path to citizenship for the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the United States. What most concerns me about this legislation are the provisions that would bring low-wage workers into this country in order to depress the wages of American workers, which are already in decline. With poverty increasing and the middle-class shrinking, we must not force American workers into even more economic distress.

The CEOs who want this bill aren’t even embarrassed by their hypocrisy. One day they shut down plants with high-skilled, well-paid American workers, and move to China where they pay desperate people 50 cents an hour. The next day, they have the nerve to come before the U.S Congress and tell us that they can’t find skilled workers to do the jobs that they need. Give me a break.

Update (6/27): More on the political process, as well as the bi-partisan "drumming" the immigration bill is taking on the Hill, from the San Francisco Chronicle.