The Center for Immigration Studies: Bigotry that Knows no Borders

Written by Guest Blogger

by Michael Dranove

Refugees from the torn country of Haiti who fled to the United States in 2010 following a disastrous earthquake often entered with nothing but the shirts on their backs.  However, none of this seems to impress the hardened commentators at the anti-immigrant group Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).

No, the years of torture and anguish that the Haitian people have had to endure is of no concern to CIS because the only question they’re interested in is did they emigrate here legally? For those who did not, CIS humanely suggests that the refugees be rounded up and deported.

In an August 7 blog post, David North of CIS writes that ICE… Read more

Dave Agema: an Islamophobe for Michigan

Written by Brian Schultz

Anders Behring Breivik’s heinous terrorism that struck Norway last month brought world-wide Islamophobia out of its erstwhile latency, a sobering call to assess a movement that has inscribed itself de jure into the policies of Western governments.

In the context of this well-deserved scrutiny, organizations and legislators have begun to protest organized Islamophobia, such as the rally held on Monday by the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR), the ACLU, and Michigan lawmakers against an anti-Muslim bill, HB 4769, proposed in June. The Michigan bill is just one of many across the country that serves to override “foreign law or culture” from legal considerations. In actuality, these bills together undermine the rightful presence… Read more

New Issue of Tanton’s Social Contract Journal Not Short on Islamophobia

Written by Guest Blogger

by Jerry Higgins

The Social Contract is a racist journal published by white nationalist John Tanton. Its summer 2011 edition is titled, “Drug smugglers, terrorists, and violent migrants flood across our porous borders.”

In three of the articles, Islam and Muslims are the authors’ targets.

Tony Rafael’s article is titled, “When Cartels Need Insurgents, They Dial 1-800-Jihad.” Rafael is the author of a book on the Mexican Mafia, and in his article he maintains that the current drug war in Mexico is being funded and aided by Muslim “jihadis.” His reasoning? The Mexican drug cartels have started using car bombs and have built tunnels under the border. Of course, this is to assume… Read more

Dispatches from Georgia: The Impact of Anti-Immigrant Laws on Women

Written by Guest Blogger

by Alexander De la Torre Bueno

A delegation of students and activists were in Atlanta for a week to document efforts to resist anti-immigrant law H.B. 87. The delegation members will be sharing first-hand accounts of their experiences with dispatches. Visit Imagine 2050 regularly for more Dispatches from Georgia.

“I prepared this presentation especially for you all. Not even my staff has seen it so this should be fun,” said Loretta Ross in a giddy voice.

As she began her presentation, Ross’s voice took on a somber cadence. Before a delegation of out-of-state activists, she cataloged the injustices perpetrated on undocumented Latina immigrants in Georgia under the state’s new immigration law, HB-87. Ross… Read more

Government Cleansing: Immigrants Get Hammered

Written by Rev. David L. Ostendorf

In the relatively quiet summer weeks of August, elements of the Obama Administration have hammered immigrants.

On August 11 the obscure Board of Immigration Appeals at the Department of Justice ruled that immigrants arrested without warrants no longer have to be told of their basic rights to remain silent or to an attorney until they are put into the formal deportation process, which is a reversal of policy in place since 1980. As a colleague at the American Immigration Council declared, “The decision epitomizes the substandard system of justice that’s been created and imposed on immigrants in the United States.”

On August 9 the National Labor Relations Board Read more

Youth for Western Civilization Caught in Bed with Racist Groups…Yet Again

Written by Stephen Piggott

Youth for Western Civilization (YWC), a student group with ties to white nationalism, has again been caught cavorting with a group that has racist ties. This time YWC is working with a neo-Confederate organization called League of the South.

In a now removed YouTube video, a YWC activist from Towson University in Maryland spoke about hosting a Confederate Commemoration Week on campus. The YWC activist was joined by a member of the Maryland chapter of the League of the South who underscored how the League of the South and YWC share similar goals and ideological foci.

The League of the South’s main aim is seeking “to advance the cultural, social, economic, and political… Read more

Guess Who Believes Undocumented Immigrants Deserve the Death Penalty

Written by Aaron Patrick Flanagan

Quiz time. Who said this:

“I’m a hawk on this, but that’s how much I value America. I know that is a very drastic stand, but let me put it this way: I expect illegal invasion of our country by foreign entities to be met with deadly force. That’s how I expect to see my country protected.”

Was is it someone from the John Tanton Network of anti-immigrant groups, perhaps? Was it FAIR’s feedback squelching megaphone, Dan Stein? Nope. Was it IRLI’s golden boy, Kris Kobach? Wrong again.

Ok, here’s a clue. This same person also said that undocumented immigrants should be “shot at the border,” and that “If they value… Read more

U.S. English Press Release

Written by Imagine 2050 Editors

Anti-immigrant group U.S. English issued a press release on August 12 to announce that the Federal English Language Bill has garnered 100 co-sponsors. The bill would discriminate against immigrants because it would make English the official language of the United States and therefore require that all government documents be published in English-only.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Written by Jessica Acee

Recently, while perusing magazines at an airport book store, I saw a headline offering to show the reader how to ensure their kids grow into rich adults.  The headline was tongue in cheek and the answer was to start saving young.  This is a long shot given that Americans are notoriously bad at saving money.  The majority of Americans don’t have $1000 in emergency savings.

While Wall Street and politicians would like the American public to believe their children can all be millionaires, it’s an insular club whose membership numbers are shrinking.  To get into the top economic 0.01 percent (one-hundredth of one percent) of the (US) population, you must have a household… Read more