Immigration Reform Bill: Center-Lefts and Conservatives Face Off

The immigration reform bill recently introduced in Congress by a bipartisan "gang of eight" senators has, naturally, been met with mixed reviews.

President Barack Obama said the bill consists of "common-sense" politics, and claims there is "no reason," the bill cannot pass by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, former Republican senator Jim DeMint said on Sunday that the laws would "make our unlawful immigration system worse," not to mention costing the United States, "trillions of dollars," according to CBS News.

The bill includes legislation meant to "modernize our legal immigration system," Mr. Obama says, bringing together families who have been broken by immigration laws, attracting immigrants in skilled trades and supplying more open paths to citizenship for the almost 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in America.

President Obama also noted that it will, "hold employers more accountable if they unknowingly hire undocumented workers."

But DeMint doesn't think the bill will provide any sanctuary from the already flawed immigration laws that plague the United States, he told ABC's "This Week."

He also mentioned that the conservative Heritage Foundation will soon release a study that reveals the "staggering cost of another amnesty in our country." It also highlights the "detrimental effects long-term" that might occur if undocumented immigrants are given political autonomy.

"There's no reason we can't begin to fix our immigration system so that we won't make this problem worse," he said. "But the bill that's being presented is unfair to those who came here legally."

DeMint said that one of the main issues with the bill is that it gives too wide an option for illegal immigrants currently living in America legally to gain citizenship.

But President Obama still stands behind the proposed legislation, saying that the reform would actually tighten up border security.

"The truth is, our border with Mexico is more secure than it's been in years," he said during his visit to the Central American country.

Citizens both in favor and opposition of the bill rolled out to demonstrate for immigration reform of all kinds on May Day, also known as International Workers' Day.