How FAIR is Attempting to Destroy US Soccer
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If you have been reading our blog at all this week, you will know that the anti-immigrant organization the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is currently hosting its annual lobbying event and awards dinner in Washington DC. FAIR’s website says it “promotes immigration levels consistent with the national interest – more traditional rates of about 300,000 a year.” FAIR only use this 300,000 quota to try and maintain its “mainstream” image.
Its real intention is to end all immigration to the United States. According to the Chicago-based civil rights organization the Center for New Community, FAIR “is a carefully crafted entity whose mission is to achieve the goal of zero immigration to the U.S. by blaming immigrants as the cause of economic, population and environmental problems.” It is easy to say that implementing a zero immigration policy would damage the United States in many ways. But what would the United States look like if FAIR achieved their goal?
One good example would be to look at the sport of soccer in the US and see how that would be affected by a zero immigration policy. Less than 3 months ago the US men’s national team caused one of the biggest upsets in recent history when it defeated Spain, the number one ranked team in the world, in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup, a warm-up tournament for the world cup held every four years. This would have never been possible if FAIR achieved its goal of zero immigration to the United States. Five of the starting 11 players on that famous day namely Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Ricardo Clark, and Jozy Altidore, the sons of Hungarian, Mexican, Nigerian, Trinidad, Tobagonian and Haitian immigrants respectively would not have taken the field representing the red, white and blue.
The US went on to lose to Brazil 3-2 in the final of the Confederations Cup, but their fantastic run has only whet American soccer fans appetite for the more important competition that takes place in June 2010. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world and next summer all eyes will be on South Africa, the first African nation to host the tournament. Barring a catastrophe, the United States will qualify for its 6th World Cup in October. Each team is allowed to bring a 23 man squad to the tournament and discussion is already underway as to who the lucky 23 players will be. Competition for the 23 places is fierce with over 40 players still realistically in the running to make the final roster. However, if FAIR had their way, the US roster would change dramatically for the worse.
If I were the coach of the US team and had to pick the 23 players – 12 players would be ineligible to play if FAIR’s zero immigration policy was in place. Five of the 13 are listed above with the others being Freddy Adu, Jose Francisco Torres, Stuart Holden, Benny Feilhaber, Jermaine Jones, Jonathan Bornstein and Pablo Mastroeni – Ghanaian born, child of Mexican immigrants, Scottish born, Brazilian born, German born, son of a Mexican immigrant, and Argentinean born respectively. Many of the 12 are world class players for some of the biggest clubs in leagues around the world. Of the 12 that would be ineligible, six are starters including the goalkeeper and three of the four defenders, not to mention the team’s best forward. In short, the team would be a shambolic shadow of its former self.
Immigration has been and will always be an integral part of American identity and culture. The US without immigration would not be the country we know today or the one that the Founding Fathers intended to create. If FAIR achieved their goal of zero immigration, the United States as a whole, like their national soccer team would be in dire straits.
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14 Responses to “How FAIR is Attempting to Destroy US Soccer”
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Great points. Most importantly is to acknowledge that our National Team is representative of our national identity: diverse, talented, motivated, and all-American. These players represent an ideal version of what we are aiming for in this country mainly all races, colors, and creeds working together to lift America up in the world (on the soccer stage or otherwise).
An appetite is “whet,” not “wet.”
And how do we know what kind of country the Founding Fathers intended to create in terms of immigration? Just because THEY were immigrants doesn’t necessarily mean they envisioned a country full of people from all over the world.
We’re still struggling, 200+ years later, to figure out what their intent was with respect to “a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State,” so what makes you think that old white men who thought that only other white, landowning men should be voting and making laws (and, indeed, were the only “people” that mattered) would be open to the melting pot concept?
That said, yes, immigration reform could be a hindrance to US soccer, in that our very existence as a country is due, in very large part, to immigration. This is what we are. This is who we are. Our national teams reflect that. May they always.
Darryl Warren Reply:
September 17th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
KT
We know what kind of society they wanted to create because we can read their journals and diaries. What we know is that the founding fathers were of different minds of what it mean’t to be an American. Similar to the debate today. It’s not surprising that Soccer which reflects the diversity of America would finnd itself suffering from those who have a much narrow view.
Remember that some Founding Fathers were againsnt slavery. Nathan Hale for instance. Others supported it and others were against it for very narrow reasons.
“give us your poor, your tired . . .”
I agree with you that “this is who we are”. It is the clearest statement on Soccer! thanks!
Interesting commentary – but get the facts straight – no immigration act could ban the children of American parents born abroad from citizenship – that means Jones and Feilhaber from your list. torres was born in Texas – to proud Mexican immigrants. His brother has tried out for the U-20 team.
Good piece but skewing facts undermines the argument and leaves it open to criticism – tighten up my friend.
Eric Ward Reply:
September 17th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
bjavan,
Looking at proposed legislation Stephen is right. Take a look at “birthright citizenship” laws that have been advocated over several years by the Federation for American Immigration Reform and those who choose to represent their views in Congress. Stephen is quite accurate in his statement. The growing attack on the 14th Amendment is actually quite frightening and a component of these anti-immigrant groups.
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/index.php?content=p091609
Jose Torres was born in texas, not Mexico.
Thanks for the comments guys and girls. The “whet” and Jose Torres errors will be fixed soon.
According to this article, Feilhaber’s parents were both born in Brazil, thus making him ineligible:
http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2007/06/15/feilhaber_going_with_the_flow/
We know what the Founding Fathers intended not only from what they wrote (which also includes – hello – the Constitution), but from what they didn’t write and how they lived their lives.
I support the general ideal of the society they apparently intended, as opposed to the one they were leaving. But when people in 2009 who probably aren’t Constitutional scholars tell me about what the Founding Fathers were about and kind of gloss over the slavery and the misogyny, my detector goes off.
Nearly everything they did and every way they lived tells me they were in it for the white male landowner and everybody else was less of a person. While I have always applauded their courage in forming a new country, let’s please not ignore what they actually did or romanticize their intentions.
To be quite honest, there is no way we can ever know the full intent of the founding fathers. Yes, they wrote journals, and were forward thinkers; and yes, they owned slaves, and would not allow women to own land. These are contradictions that will always cause an argument from the rest of our countries existence. What is important is that we continue to progress and grow, and by wiping out immigration what-so-ever, that will not happen. No “free country” in the world has completely closed borders, and to suggest such a thing is down right ignorant. We need to see people for what they are, PEOPLE. This country did not just allow immigrants to move here, WE ASKED FOR IT! This country exists because of English, French, Spanish, and even Scandinavian presence on this land for thousands of years. Groups like FAIR need to wake up and start seeing people as people, and not just statistics.
Yeah, the children of immigrants are citizens but if their parents would have never been allowed to immigrate…..they would not have been born here.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter what barriers people try to create. People will move onto new lands to search for opportunity. Humans have been doing it since they gained the ability to walk on two legs and set their sights on the horizon.
At this rate, no one will want to move here pretty soon.
You missed a player: Landon Donovan.
His father is Canadian.
Stephen Piggott Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Do you have any proof for that? I couldn’t find any information on where his parents were born. I know they have some Irish blood in them though!
Im sorry, but I could not find anywhere on the FAIR website where they want ZERO immigration. Is that some other groups opinion?
Darryl Warren Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I found it right there on their website in the About section it says “temporary moratorium on immigration” and “immigration timeout” is all over the website as well. I also noticed that they are against H-2A visas which is the visa many of overseas players are here in the U.S. with.