HispanicBusiness

Lou Dobbs, the controversial CNN commentator whose views on illegal immigration have led to a rising chorus for his ouster, is leaving the station.

Dobbs confirmed the rumor, first reported this afternoon by The New York Times, during his show on Wednesday evening.

"Some leaders in the media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and engage in constructive problem-solving," he said. "I'm considering a number of options and directions."

Dobbs' contract wasn't set to expire until the end of 2011.

The racially charged controversy surrounding Dobbs has been simmering for months.

In March, Dobbs publicly apologized on his CNN show for calling the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce "an organization that is interested in the export of American capital and production to Mexico and Mexico's export of drugs and illegal aliens to the United States."

He also has taken heat for giving airtime to a fringe movement known as the "birthers," who insist, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that President Obama was born in Kenya.

In September, Dobbs, whose wife is Mexican-American, was blasted by critics for attending a rally hosted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which some groups have branded a "hate group."

The Southern Poverty Law Center, for instance, asserted that FAIR has ties to groups such as the Pioneer Fund, which has stirred controversy for bankrolling studies concluding that IQs vary according to race. FAIR, meanwhile, vigorously rejects the center's label.

Late last month, Dobbs insinuated that critics of his policies on immigration were linked to an incident in which his home was struck by a bullet. Law enforcement officials, however, said the bullet was more likely a stray shot from a hunter.