Immigration Battleground 7:00, 2007 (Ref: NA07581)

Description

Mount Olive in North Carolina is a small town transformed by the influx of Mexican workers. The financial benefits are welcomed, but to many the immigrants have forced down wages and are a burden on the education system.

Mount Olive is symptomatic of many towns all over the USA. The proposed new laws on illegal immigrants have been a battle-ground with opposition Senators in the US accusing the government of giving a free pass for lawbreakers.

Senate leaders from both parties are trying to steer a compromise bill through Congress to provide a path to citizenship for up to 12 million illegal immigrants but is under fire from both left and right – while businesses fears they may lose the low wage workforce they rely on.