Having received the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the controversial immigration legislation is now being debated by the full Senate. There is speculation that a vote could come before the July Fourth holiday.

The full Senate recently began its debate on the immigration bill with a potential vote coming before the upper house adjourns for the Fourth of July holiday. As an indication of the dubious future it faces, four Republican senators initiated the process with a letter to their colleagues in which they stated that the version approved by the Senate Judiciary committee is very flawed.

Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Mike Lee (Utah), all members of that committee, outlined nine major concerns they have with the wide-ranging proposal, including that the legislation fails to secure the U.S. border with Mexico and unfairly rewards illegal immigrants with a chance at citizenship. The four lawmakers voted against the bill in the committee.

The letter read in part, "The bill's already serious flaws were exacerbated by the adoption of several amendments that significantly weaken current law, hamstring law enforcement, and further complicate our legal immigration system," Border security and the proposed path to citizenship for those who entered the country illegally have been the subjects of intense opposition throughout the bill's journey.

In their letter, the senators pointed out that they offered several amendments to strengthen border security and limit the legal status for some of the illegal immigrants, but that the committee "voted down every attempt to mandate meaningful control of our borders. Americans expect their government to end the lawlessness, not surrender to it," they wrote.