Neo-Nazi Activities Target Immigrants
When I first heard about the National Policy Institute’s “Boycott the Glenn Beck Boycott,” I was a little surprised, but just a little. Due to Beck’s racially charged reporting, Color of Change launched a boycott targeting companies financially supporting Beck’s television show.
The National Policy Institute (NPI), a white nationalist organization, believes that in order for “The European identity of the United States and its people [to] be maintained, Federal decentralization and territorial separation should be recognized as legitimate and humane means of preventing and resolving divisive social, ethnic, and racial conflicts.” Read more
Center for Immigration Studies Manipulates Poll Results from African Americans
It’s hard to swallow when others are putting words in your mouth. But that is exactly what the Tanton Network has been doing with African American communities. In its latest attempt to twist the views of African Americans, the Tanton Network through The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) has released a poll titled ‘An Examination of Minority Voters’ Views on Immigration’.
It is not unusual for CIS to twist and skew facts to fit its extreme agenda. Anti-immigrant leaders are using this poll to convince the public that their view is race neutral and that ‘Minority Voters’ agree with their fringe views.
The press statement released with the poll downplayed the fact that a plurality of the ‘minority voters’ they had polled favored allowing immigrants staying in the country if they met certain conditions including: pay a fine, study English and undergo a background check. Read more
Tanton Network Uses E-verify to Terrorize Immigrant Communities
The John Tanton Network is more interested in terrorizing immigrant communities than helping employers.
Nothing else can explain its recent response to a comprehensive report on the failure of E-verify. Rather than accept the program’s failures and promote more effective ways to fix the immigration system, the network of anti-immigrant groups led by John Tanton is attacking the report and trying to discredit hard facts. The anti-immigrant trifecta of the Tanton Network – FAIR, Center for Immigration Studies and NumbersUSA – came out swinging against the report which effectively debunks their data on E-verify.
Mark Krikorian of Center for Immigration Studies said, “Nevertheless, it’s certainly true that E-Verify isn’t tight enough yet, but in a glass-half-full sense, this isn’t really bad news,” and “…we know perfectly well what the problems are, and they don’t have much to with with the E-Verify system itself.” Read more
Anti-immigrant Movement Attacks American Property Owners
The anti-immigrant movement wants private property owners to enforce immigration laws, and be punished when they don’t. It’s shocking the lengths some groups have gone to in order to pressure, intimidate or force ordinary citizens into complying with their anti-immigrant activities.
Leading this effort is Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), the legal arm of the John Tanton Network. IRLI’s primary purpose is to push legal causes that unfairly target immigrant communities. IRLI works with extremist anti-immigrant groups and leaders to push anti-immigrant ordinances at the municipal level. In 1985, John Tanton launched IRLI, but made sure he kept it firmly under the control of Federation for American Immigration Reform, which has tried to portray itself as a mainstream organization despite its links to extremist groups, including white nationalists. Read more
Tanton Memo of the Month – U.S., Inc.
Tanton at a Social Contract event
This February’s Tanton Memo of the Month* details a list of nearly 30 organizations founded by U.S., Inc., John Tanton’s financial “umbrella” organization. The other day I found this document in our archives. As I plied through a variety of anti-immigrant documents, I stumbled across John Tanton’s description of his “umbrella”, U.S., Inc. For those unfamiliar with John Tanton, he’s the founder of a variety of anti-immigrant organizations, including Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), NumbersUSA, Pro-English, U.S. English, the white nationalist publication The Social Contract, and a variety of environmental and anti-immigrant projects.
Tanton has also financially supported over 50 organizations and individuals who, essentially, campaign on his behalf. Not all of his projects directly relate to immigration issues. Some support projects preserving wildlife, like ProWild, “a project that promoted the ranching of native animals in East Africa, or “Bringing Out the Best in Ourselves”, which “is a series of small grants to local public and parochial schools,” and Scenic Michigan, “an affiliate of the national organization Scenic America.” Read more
Anti-immigrant Forces Target Struggling American Communities
Kobach
Tanton
The man at the heart of the most influential anti-immigrant network in the country, John Tanton, has created an empire of organizations consisting of lobbyists, lawyers, legislators, and “experts” who have infiltrated the very depths of social and political debate.
Lately, that has been no more apparent than in Arizona’s Maricopa County, where the Tanton Network’s favorite attorney, Kris Kobach, is busy working with notoriously brutal Sheriff Joe Arpaio. A Kansas attorney, professor, and politician with controversial associations, Kobach has a history of preying on vulnerable communities. Communities weakened, for example, by corruption or political division. Read more
FAIR and Lyndon LaRouche: Of Soul Mates and Front Groups
LaRouche
When it comes to creating bogus front groups, few organizations in the U.S. today can match the anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
Its most recent incarnation—“Progressives for Immigration Reform”—is all dressed up in a caringly liberal-like web site, professing its commitment to protect American workers and the environment, and to “improve the lives of people worldwide.” One has to wonder if someone at FAIR got schooled in its front groups strategy by Lyndon LaRouche, the wacky, right wing demagogue and political operative and whose capacity to create political confusion through his fronts is the gold standard to which FAIR may aspire. Read more
Sheriff Arpaio Joins Forces with Anti-immigrant Attorney
Joe Arpaio has found a new friend who is just as controversial as the sheriff himself. Kris Kobach and Arpaio appeared together at a press conference yesterday afternoon to unveil a new program that trains officers to target immigrants. Kobach, a GOP candidate for Secretary of State in Kansas, works for the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI). According IRLI’s website, it is the “public interest law affiliate of the Federation for American Immigration Reform” aka FAIR, designated as a hate group by the civil rights organization Southern Poverty Law Center.
Before detailing FAIR’s controversial relationships with white nationalists, let’s first examine Kobach’s colleague at IRLI, Mike Hethmon. Hethmon has worked with John Tanton (the founder of FAIR) for nearly nine years. Just last fall he attended Tanton’s annual Writers Workshop. In fact, Hethmon began his “legal overview” presentation by personally thanking “Dr. Tanton for hosting and sustaining what is now I believe 33 years of the Writers Workshop.” Hethmon also added that he has “had the privilege of attending for several years.” Read more
Anti-Immigrant ‘Progressives’ Embrace Hate
Back in 1963, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream where . . . “little black boys and black girls” would “be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” I’m fairly sure Dr. King wasn’t envisioning Leah Durant, executive director of Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR) joining group shots with prominent leaders tied to the American white nationalist movement.
For nearly a year Leah Durant has been working overtime in an attempt to convince the public that PFIR is a legitimate progressive organization concerned about the issue of immigration. Recently in a discussion on AlterNet Durant argued that the fact that she was African American should be proof enough of PFIR’s progressive bona fides. Ironically Durant makes this statement after arguing that her organization was not “concerned with race.” Read more
Tanton Memo of the Month – Center for Immigration Studies
Every month, the Center for New Community releases one of John Tanton’s personal letters and/or memos, illustrating John Tanton’s close relationships with white nationalists and the formation of today’s anti-immigrant movement. The letters and memos are a public collection at the Bentley Historical Library.
As discussions on immigration reform fill airwaves and blogs in the coming months, anti-immigrant and immigrant rights organizations will debate if immigration financially benefits American society. Currently, the John Tanton Network, a web of over two dozen organizations, is attempting to represent the interests of American workers, particularly organizations like Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), NumbersUSA and the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). Almost every month, the Center for Immigration Studies claims that immigrants drain the economy, are responsible for high unemployment and decrease wages for American workers. At the same time, John Tanton’s controversial history sings a different tune. His history suggests that the Tanton Network is more concerned with dividing American workers rather than increasing monthly wages. Read more
Racist Violence in Italy Could Happen in U.S.
Last week in Southern Italy’s working-class city of Rosarno, African immigrants clashed with local residents in what has been described as the worst racial violence since World War II, when Italy allied itself with the Nazis. The riots erupted after a racially-motivated attack on a group of Black agricultural workers. 1200 immigrants were evacuated by the government for their own protection and sent to detention centers to await deportation. This was not a spontaneous or isolated event, racial tensions have been exacerbated on multiple, coordinated fronts.
Americans should pay close attention to Ital; we are not far behind.
Like Italy, U.S. industry and those who profit from it (Italy calls it the mob, we call it big business), has benefited from the cheap labor of undocumented immigrants and refugees of color, while at the same time exploiting the tenuous existence of these same workers. Read more
Mark Krikorian’s TPS Comments Contradict Anti-immigrant Agenda
Once again we are seeing the John Tanton Network use one of its tentacles, Center for Immigration Studies, to mask its extreme agenda. Mark Krikorian, speaking on behalf of the John Tanton Network’s Center for Immigration Studies, said “The Haitians in Florida are certainly upset about this tragedy… but this is going to end up benefiting them immensely.”
Krikorian’s remark was reported in The National Journal’s article about how politicians on both sides of the aisle are pressing the Obama administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians who are residing in the U.S. In another article, Krikorian says TPS for Haitians may be justified, but also stated that it is his understanding that things would “sort of get back to normal in a few months.” He believes that after a few months the Haitian refugees should be forced to return to Haiti. This would compound the tragedy of Haiti and the Haitian people. Read more
Anti-immigrant Groups and Environmentalists at Odds
Masked is the word that comes to mind when I think of anti-immigrant organizations that claim to be concerned about the environment. As we move into a new month, year, decade and closer to the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, we must be mindful of environmental issues and especially of who are considered legitimate environmental experts. Conscious and informed environmentalism is imperative to solve dire environmental problems.
However, politically extreme organizations that purport to prioritize environmental preservation/conservation are using this alarming issue to promote their anti-immigrant agendas. They are employing several aggressive tactics, some of which are outright attacks on mainstream environmental organizations for not taking an anti-immigrant stance. Other examples include TV and radio advertisements which falsely connect immigrants to environmental degradation. Fear-mongering and bullying are the anti-immigrant movement’s favored tactics. Read more
Anti-Immigrant Forces Hold Rally in Maryland
The Sanctuary posted a great article by CASA de Maryland about an anti-immigrant rally with very low attendance. If only all anti-immigrant events were as unpopular.
Last week, a conglomeration of anti-immigrant groups, led by “Help Save Maryland” and FAIR (recognized a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center), organized a rally against my organization, CASA de Maryland.
The heavily promoted rally, which was announced in CAPITAL LETTERS on the website of Help Save Maryland, was supposed to draw the anti-immigrant forces from around the state. Their website implored: Read more
Anti-immigration is White Nationalism
After reading about the John Tanton Network’s relationship to eugenics and possibly sterilization, I finally broke down in tears. As a researcher who studies white nationalism and anti-immigration for a civil rights organization, the majority of what I read is deeply offensive. It usually doesn’t bother me; I see my work as a necessary tool to educate people about white nationalism in a post-civil rights era. But as I re-read how eugenics scholars may have advocated for the forced sterilization of non-Christian people who weren’t white, I turned off my desk lamp and went home for the night.
As Barry Mehler points out in the video, Immigration and the White Nationalist Movement, modern day anti-immigration is rooted in the eugenics movement of the 1920s, similar to anti-immigration in the 20th century. Both fought, and are fighting, to preserve the idea of a white nation. However, unlike today, anti-immigration of the 1920’s openly fought to preserve white supremacy. Since it’s no longer socially acceptable to openly promote eugenics, modern anti-immigration hides its white nationalist roots.“The movement to restrict immigration, legal immigration and illegal immigration is a white nationalist movement. The concern is for white control of the United States”, says Mehler when addressing the links between the two movements. Read more
Hate Group FAIR Looking for “Ethnically Ambiguous” Actors
Adam Luna posted this awesome blog article yesterday, Hate Group FAIR Looking for “Ethnically Ambiguous” Actors—Think You Have What it Takes? Live in Atlanta and feel like having a little fun today? Find out what it takes to be one of FAIR’s “ethnically ambiguous” bigots.
We just got word that the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated a hate group, is holding a casting call in Atlanta tomorrow for a new web video that will change the hearts and minds of the average American.
Think you have what it takes to be a mouthpiece for hate?
They will pay $500 to “ethnically ambiguous” actors in their 20s or 30s, with no Southern accent, who can work with a teleprompter — to help them put a modern face on their extreme agenda and disguise their clear ties to white nationalism.
FAIR spends millions of dollars a year on online ads to promote videos like this on websites — including some progressive ones you know and read. So if you get the part, you could be the envy of “ethnically ambiguous” racists across the country!
Watch this to learn what FAIR’s like when the teleprompter turns off:
Read more
Millions of Children Depend on Compassionate Change
The United States risks forsaking millions of children.
When hate groups are permitted to guide national policy and social attitudes, we abandon the most vulnerable of Americans: children existing in the shadows of society.
Recently, anti-immigrant groups released a rash of opinion pieces in mainstream newspapers across the nation. Groups like FAIR and Center for Immigration Studies enjoy sharing their views on varied topics. When it comes to compassion for other human beings however, these same groups have nothing to say.
Listen closely to the most fervent of anti-immigrant voices and try to detect even one note of concern for the millions of children whose hopes and dreams hang on the realization of rational immigration reform. Read more
Arpaio Will Not Let Federal Government Stop Him
I was talking with some friends from the Repeal Coalition in Arizona – an organization dedicated to repealing all anti-immigrant legislation – just after DHS introduced the idea of stripping Maricopa County’s 287(g) agreement. I asked them if they thought this was a large victory for the immigration rights activists and undocumented peoples of Phoenix. Considering the terror Sheriff Joe Arpaio has caused to undocumented communities I assumed that stripping Joe Arpaio of his federal immigration enforcement powers would be a great success. Somewhat to my surprise my friends said they didn’t think it would make a difference.
“It will only inflame the far right here,” one friend explained.
In addition, they said Sheriff Arpaio would not stop conducting raids. While I still consider it a success that the federal government stopped entrusting Arpaio to enforce immigration, they were absolutely right to say that it would not stop him. Read more
Social Security Should Be Source of Pride, Not Fear
Social Security makes people cringe. It gives them migraines. It causes strange noises to come out of their mouths, like scoffs and snorts and hisses. And if you’re one of the millions who rely on it, you might break out in cold sweats or have panic attacks at its mere mention. What if we re-named it “community benefit” or better yet something like “protection for the vulnerable”? Would it still be the source of so many jokes and so much dread?
We’ve lost the essence of Social Security.
Growing up, “Social Security” was considered a fantasy, a thing that we would contribute to, but never receive. My generation’s understanding was that the baby boomers (our parents) would rely on it so heavily that there would be nothing left for us. I look back now and think ‘wow, what sad cynical kids we were!’ And pretty stupid for believing that our futures were being manipulated by forces beyond our control. The only thing we were being manipulated by was fear. It is completely within our control to demand our elected officials take steps to improve our social security system, but first we must be honest about what screwed it up in the first place. Read more
Soccer Fans Give Red Card to Tanton Network
By Tom Dunmore – 
Editor of Pitch Invasion and Vice Chair, Section 8, Chicago
To be anti-immigrant and to still be a fan of soccer, the game that has depended on open borders worldwide, is a contradiction in itself. A recent article by David Seminara of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), “Why Is the U.S. National Soccer Team So ‘American?”, immediately set-off an alert: after all, CIS was created as a project of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an anti-immigration organization that promotes near-zero levels of immigration.
Seminara asks “why aren’t immigrants making a bigger impact playing soccer for the Stars and Stripes?”, citing the low numbers of current U.S. men’s national team players born outside American borders. Yet, this analysis ignores the crucial contribution immigrants and second-generation citizens have made to the men’s national team historically.
Categories
Authors
- Amy Mehta
- Amy Spicer
- Ana Turck
- Andrew Grant-Thomas
- Axel Fuentes
- Carlos Rich
- Chris Bober
- Cloee Cooper
- Eric Ward
- Garat Ibrahim
- George Garza
- Guest Blogger
- Imagine 2050 Editors
- James E. Johnson
- Jessica Acee
- Jill Garvey
- Joan Flanagan
- Katie Bezrouch
- Katie Irwin
- Ken Brown
- Noah Chandler
- Rev. David L. Ostendorf
- Sarah Viets
- Stephen Piggott
- Tom Dunmore
- Amy Mehta