Immigration

Racist Posts Appear on Anti-Immigrant Group’s Facebook Page

Written by Brian Schultz

The marriage of social media and politics is always a hot topic. For better or worse, all people with internet access can get into the conversation, and the networks themselves don’t scrutinize these words. Accountability is then assuaged through a simple disclaimer, generally issued by the proprietor of each particular forum. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), as one such proprietor, does just that through a “comment policy” on its Facebook page:

Comments and posts that do not follow these guidelines risk removal and repeated violations could lead to being blocked from the page without notice […] We do not allow graphic, obscene, explicit, sexist or racial comments or submissions nor do we

… Read more

Who is the new President for Progressives for Immigration Reform?

Written by Rebecca Poswolsky

By Nina Masters and Rebecca Poswolsky

Meet Philip Cafaro, the new President of Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR).  PFIR, the spin-off of controversial anti-immigrant group Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), needed a new leader after William Ryerson recently stepped down.

PFIR has attempted to use progressive frames around conservation to lure environmentalists into the anti-immigrant movement.  This new change in leadership illustrates that PFIR is struggling to maintain its ties to legitimate environmentalists.  Although Cafaro, a professor at Colorado State University, teaches Environmental Ethics, he is closely aligned with the anti-immigrant movement and reductionist politics.

That is, he’s not “progressive” at all.

Politics

SB1070: A Story of Resistance and the Demise of Russell Pearce (Part I)

Written by Chris Griffin

Crafted by an extreme anti-immigrant movement with the unsaid goal of forcing a max exodus of a people out of Arizona and eventually the US, SB1070 serves as a large piece of a far right agenda.   As the law itself states, the goal of SB1070 is to create “attrition through enforcement.”

Putting that another way, the goal of the law was and is to make conditions in Arizona so oppressive and harsh that it would begin to gnaw at and grind away the undocumented population in Arizona.  Unfortunately, before the law was even passed, it was clear that it had already begun to create high levels of fear and anxiety in migrant communities and in… Read more

FAIR Launches New TV Ad Campaign in Ohio

Written by Imagine 2050 Editors

The anti-immigrant group Federation for American Immigration Reform has launched a new TV ad campaign in Ohio called “Fair Chance at Jobs.” The group is currently airing 2 ads in Ohio blaming immigrants for the states unemployment rate. One of the ads is strikingly similar to an ad brought out by the anti-immigrant group Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) last winter. Both FAIR and CAPS have received funding from the Pioneer Fund, a foundation that has a history of promoting the genetic superiority of white, European-Americans.

Immigration

Anti-Immigrant Group Loses President and Legitimacy

Written by Rebecca Poswolsky

It’s official, environmentalist William Ryerson is no longer associated with Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR).  A spin-off of controversial anti-immigrant group Federation for American Immigration Reform, PFIR has struggled to be considered mainstream since its inception.  The group has attempted to use progressive frames around conservation to lure environmentalists into the anti-immigrant movement.  William Ryerson, who currently works with Post Carbon Institute, Population Media Center and Population Institute, was the long-time president of PFIR and helped legitimize it as a “progressive” group.

The John Tanton Network of anti-immigrant groups has a long history of trying to hoodwink the public, so it comes as no surprise that it spawned an organization of fake progressives.… Read more

Politics

Cross-Post: States that Passed Arizona-style Immigration Laws Now Face Costly, Uphill Legal Battles

Written by Imagine 2050 Editors

Originally published on Immigration Impact by Seth Hoy.

Despite repeated warnings from business groups, tourism and industry boards and advocates about the hefty price tag attached to Arizona-style legislation, state lawmakers continued to push “get tough” copycat proposals. Many ultimately rejected SB1070-style legislation (26, to date) due to high costs and political backlash, while others severely watered down, altered or put on hold legislation targeting undocumented immigrants. But states that did pass anti-immigrant legislation, like Georgia and Indiana, now face costly, uphill legal battles.

Politics

Extra! Reports on Nativist Groups in the Media

Written by Imagine 2050 Editors

“Selling the Anti-Immigration Story” by Beau Hodai ran in the June issue of Extra! magazine, a publication of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. The article details a media blitz by the Federation for American Immigration Reform and how little scrutiny the controversial group draws as a result.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (not to be confused with the media watch group FAIR), recently held its fourth “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” event in Washington, D.C. The April 5–7 gathering saw the cozy confluence of freshman lawmakers, veteran creatures of the Hill such as journalist/speechwriter Patrick Buchanan and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R.-Maine), and nearly 50 radio personalities broadcasting from “Radio Row.”

Immigration

Biking Beyond Bigotry: Taking New Roads

Written by Rebecca Poswolsky

For the first time in May, 2011, I was able to combine my passions for biking, the open road, and politics.  The desert landscape was as motivating aesthetically as it was a reminder of what we were up against.   Each pedal made me recommit to what I believe in.  The harshness of the cacti and the coarseness of the mountains were sharp and biking by prickly pears from Flagstaff to Tucson solidified my passion for pulling together the Biking Beyond Bigotry tour.

The goal of the trip was to bring environmentalists together from across the nation to pedal over 350 miles while speaking out against the greening of hate.  What transpired went beyond biking… Read more

Politics

Sponsors of Islamophobic Legislation Have Anti-Immigrant and White Nationalist Ties

Written by Guest Blogger

By Jerry Higgins

Much has been written in recent months about the wave of anti-sharia legislation being introduced across the United States.

Seventeen states have introduced bills or resolutions aimed at curbing sharia law in this country. Currently two states have passed such laws, Tennessee and Louisiana. Three more have had such bills introduced but have defeated them, Utah, Mississippi and Florida. Of the remaining twelve two are effectively dead, AR SB97 and WY HJ8; three more are unlikely to be acted on in the next session, IN HJR16, GA HB45 and AK HB 88; and of the final six only two have been passed by the by the House and are currently… Read more

Immigration

Submit Inspirational Stories of Campus Action to Imagine 2050!

Written by Catharine Debelle

In the midst of the most draconian anti-immigrant legislation introduced in the US since the Immigration Act of 1924, opposing forces are seeking to determine the outcome of these divisive legislative battles. Meanwhile, people’s lives are on the line.

Students are on the frontlines of the debate around what it will mean to be American for the next several decades. Groups like Youth for Western Civilization, backed by the Leadership Institute, are taking this debate seriously.  Their motto, “defending the west on campus,” is indicative of their trajectory. But student groups and individuals across the country are determined to have the conversation in a different way – how do we build a community… Read more