The U.S. Senate is expected to pass a new immigration bill this week. But it was only twenty years ago that President Reagan signed an sweeping immigration bill into law. That was also supposed to solve the problem of undocumented workers. Why didn’t it work? What lessons does history have for the current immigration debate? Also today, about a thousand Microsoft temp workers are on a seven day furlough without pay. Business is turning more to temp workers for flexibility. For workers, it can provide freedom and a high pay rate, but along with that comes little job security and lower status. Are you a temp or have you worked as a temp? What’s good and what’s bad about the temp life?

Guests: Matt Barreto is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington.

Françoise Carré is Research Director for the Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, where she specailizes in labor economics and industrial relations.