As it gets closer to voting time for the Senate, the immigration-reform bill moves closer to center stage. Along with it, for better or for worse, moves CNN news anchor Lou Dobbs.

The question at hand is why, in the face of so many vocal opponents, Dobbs continues to perpetuate his lies. Is Dobbs a racist? (See also: Lou Dobbs Dodges Truth! 4 Funky Immigration 'Facts')

Dobbs, a proponent in the "anti-immigration" movement since it became a major issue several years ago, has received so much attention for his opinions that many Americans feel those who attack him in defense of undocumented workers are equally to blame for Dobbs' overexposure.

Dobbs is known for reporting that an "invasion of illegal aliens" was bringing "highly contagious diseases" to America "decades after those diseases had been eradicated" here. His show then reported that more than 7,000 new cases of leprosy had been reported in the previous three years. These numbers were proven to be completely off the mark when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that new cases of leprosy, which totaled only 398 from 2002 to 2004, have been declining in the United States since 1988. When challenged about his leprosy story, Dobbs stated, "I do not make up numbers. It is a fact."     

Perhaps the most prominent organization to accuse Dobbs of fabricating facts is the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Long known for its civil-rights advocacy and battles against hate crimes, the SPLC has made its mission to educate Americans on immigration truths.

Recently, SPLC Cofounder Morris Dees talked with current SPLC President Richard Cohen about Dobbs, whether Dobbs is a racist, and whether the center is itself adding fuel to the fire. Longtime SPLC supporters are split as to whether attacking Dobbs is the right route to take for the center.

What do you think? Are groups that defend undocumented workers by attacking Dobbs making the right decision in firing back? Dees feels strongly that Dobbs' lies must be verified and that making a public spectacle of the news anchor is crucial to maintaining damage control.

Dees feels other tactics won't work, and he pointed out that efforts to inform Dobbs directly about immigration truths have had no effect. "I think Dobbs knows what he's doing," said Dees. "I think the officials of CNN know what he's doing too, and it's to pump up the ratings."

On whether Dobbs is a racist, Dees said no but felt that wasn't the point. "I don't think in his heart he would consider himself a racist," responded Dees, "but when people in the spotlight make these statements, people take them to heart. This fuels anti-immigration fears."

Cohen then asked Dees if the SPLC was refocusing its attention away from fighting hate groups. Dees said absolutely not, and he stressed that immigration reform was an important social issue. Dees addressed the guest-worker program in particular and warned of its misleading benefits.

"The guest-worker program sounds like a panacea, sounds like a good idea. It could be good, but guest workers have to have rights. It's like virtual slavery, involuntary servitude. Dobbs is just a part of the larger problem. We are trying to fight this battle on all fronts."

The SPLC has been criticized for not filing a lawsuit against Dobbs, a class-action on behalf of undocumented immigrants, for perpetrating lies. In the past, the SPLC has been responsible for winning important legal battles, such as Paradise v. Allen in 1972, which forced Alabama state troopers, an all-white institution, to end their policy of "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever." The SPLC took the case to the Supreme Court and won, ordering Alabama to hire one black trooper for every white trooper hired, until the force was 25 percent black.

But Dees doesn't want to sue. "In America we have the right to make these statements. The first amendment protects Dobbs and it protects people like us when we confront him."

"In the long run," continued Dees, "I think Lou Dobbs is going to be a footnote in history. Dobbs is just riding a popular horse today. I think we'll be here long after Dobbs is off the show."

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