Dobbs on the Catholic Church's Supposed IIlegal Immigration Agenda

CNN's "Live From" was the scene of a heated debate today about illegal immigration between CNN reporter Lou Dobbs and Univision's Maria Elena Salinas.

What stood out amongst all of the bluster was Dobbs asserting that the Catholic church's "agenda" regarding illegal immigrants was simply to bring more converts into the United States, completely mischaracterizing the church's actual concerns that were dealt with by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday:

In another sharp departure from the House, the senators refused to criminalize illegal immigrants as well as clergy and charitable groups who give them aid.

Outraged by those provisions in the bill passed by the House in December, hundreds of thousands of protesters have marched in the streets of Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta and other cities in recent weeks.

Hundreds of clergy members massed outside the Capitol on Monday in protest, many wearing handcuffs in protest.
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Of note as well is the fact that religious protesters have represented a variety of faiths:

Dozens of Roman Catholic, Methodist, Episcopalian and other church leaders were among the million plus protesters who filled the streets from coast to coast in a Mar. 25 rally against the bill.
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The proposed legislation, which has passed in the House and is up for a vote by the Senate, would make it a crime to help undocumented immigrants stay in the U.S. It would require churches and other social organisations to ask immigrants for legal documentation before providing assistance.
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Shame on Dobbs for misstating the facts and for refusing to address why the church is really opposed to the pending immigration reform legislation. His fearmongering has reached a new low.

And no, I am not a Catholic. I am, however, a member of the reality-based community.

(I will post the transcript once it's available).

UPDATE: Transcript

DOBBS: Well, Maria Elena knows that, Kyra. She's doing something that a lot of activists groups are doing. They're trying to confuse a lot of the issues. Let me be clear. I embrace immigrants, I am absolutely opposed to illegal immigration.

I am exposed to the exploitation of illegal labor by illegal employers. I am opposed to the -- if you want it talk about the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church has an agenda. It wants those people who happen to be Catholic in this country, and they really don't care much at all, if at all, what the cost is to taxpayers in this country, the cost to the government. And that's a shame.