Anti-immigration forces were, and are, on the front lines of racism in America. Today’s most powerful web of anti-immigrant groups, the John Tanton Network, uses the issue of immigration to drive a wedge between communities of color by perpetuating the myth that immigrants and African-Americans must compete for economic opportunities.
The Tanton Network attempts to divide Black leaders from community leaders. An example of this can be found in a report by Tanton-founded Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) titled, An Examination of Minority Voters’ Views on Immigration.
In the report CIS portrays “leaders of minority groups” as an elite bunch who are out-of-step with voters. To quote directly from the report, CIS states, “When some leaders of minority groups speak on immigration and argue for legalization, they are merely offering their own personal opinions, not necessarily those of voters in these communities.”
The Tanton Network also falsely claims that the anti-immigrant movement is diverse. To mask this fabrication, it establishes groups like Coalition for the Future American Worker and Choose Black America, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as “just another FAIR product attempting to improve public perceptions of the overwhelmingly white anti-immigration movement.”
By far the biggest lie the John Tanton Network promotes is that immigrants and refugees are taking jobs that should go to African Americans.
According to Professor Steven Pitts who teaches at U.C. Berkeley there is no connection between immigration and the lack of jobs for Blacks. He surveyed major metropolitan cities, where 70% of Black Americans live, and found that what is really getting in the way of Black economic opportunity is a two-dimensional job crisis – unemployment and low wage work. This very real crisis is a result of employment discrimination, substandard education at K-12 school levels and continuing attacks on organized labor.
Worse than just distracting from the real problems facing the Black community, the John Tanton Network’s elected leadership has one of the most extreme voting records against Civil Rights in Congress, and it has never supported one single piece of legislation seeking to lessen the economic plight of Black America.
The anti-immigrant movement has systematically dismantled voting rights, crafted racist state legislation, supported armed border vigilantes, and is seeking to destroy the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.