I just received from the AFL-CIO’s Lane Windham a letter John Sweeny sent to John Wilhelm yesterday in response to Wilhelm’s resignation as chair of the Federation’s Immigration Committee. Sweeney expresses regret at Wilhelm’s resignation but also says that Wilhelm mischaracterizes the current state-of-play on immigration.

As Sweeney sees it, UNITE HERE has departed from the committee’s consensus on immigration reform and says UNITE HERE’s current positions on the issue have made it hard to achieve consensus on the McCain-Kennedy legislation.

I have to admit that I am less versed in the fine points of the immigration reform debate (and am pressed to finish a mountain of work before heading off to Chicago). So, any thoughtful comments to give our readers a little background would be appreciated.