To protest proposed immigration legislation, human services workers, union leaders, religious workers, teachers and others will turn themselves into Minneapolis police at the Hennepin County Government Center at noon on Monday, March 20.

"We will all be criminals if Congress passes the immigration legislation it is now considering," says Teresa Ortiz, who works with immigrants through the Centro de Derechos Laborales of the Resource Center of the Americas.

"The proposed law would criminalize the provision of assistance to undocumented persons," according to Ann Shuetz, education program associate for Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. "Anyone, including U.S. citizens, who assist an undocumented person to remain in the U.S. would be guilty of 'smuggling.' This would criminalize the work of social service organizations, refugee agencies, churches, attorneys, hospitals, employers, and others."

Monday's demonstration is sponsored by AFFIRM (the Alliance For Fair Federal Immigration Reform of Minnesota) and member groups including religious, labor and civic organizations.

The punitive federal legislation has stirred outrage across the country. Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony denounced the legislation at the end of February. "The whole concept of punishing people who serve immigrants is un-American," Mahony said.

Minnesota's Archbishop Harry Flynn called the legislation a violation of human rights and morally unacceptable, saying, "Undocumented people are vulnerable ? and our deepest principles demand that we respond to their needs out of respect for the human rights of every person, including the right to work to support a family, the right to emigrate and the right to participate in society. These rights are clearly articulated in many of our faith traditions, as well as in the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.

"[H.R. 4437] would severely curtail these rights in the lives of undocumented immigrants ? making it a crime to work to support a family, for example. In addition, the bill would make it a criminal act for concerned people to reach out to support these immigrants in any way. This is morally unacceptable."

Section 202 of the bill proposed by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., criminalizes anyone assisting undocumented immigrants, imposing a five-year prison term and a fine.

The federal proposal is being made as immigration becomes a heated issue at the state level as well. Governor Tim Pawlenty's package of immigration proposals ? including creation of a law enforcement taskforce to "crack down" on illegal immigration ? will have its first hearing Tuesday in the Minnesota House.