The Hill
By Jordain Carney
February 29, 2016
A
progressive outside organization is slamming three immigration groups
that are frequently cited by conservative lawmakers, suggesting they
have ties to white nationalism.
The
People for the American Way (PFAW) released a report Monday that
accuses the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the Federation for
American Immigration Reform (FAIR)
and NumbersUSA of trying to "poison the well" on immigration
legislation and spreading extremist ideology.
"Despite
the fact that these groups peddle misinformation and pander to the
xenophobic fringe to further their anti-immigration goals, they continue
to wield influence
in the media, in Congress, and on the campaign trail," PFAW Senior
Fellow Peter Montgomery said in a statement.
The
group says in its report that the organizations have "ties to the dark
underbelly of the anti-immigration movement, which smears immigrants
using racial terms" pointing
to quotes and financial contributions dating back to the 1980s.
The
report quickly notes controversial comments on immigration from GOP
presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, who has been under pressure to
disavow the support of former
Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke.
Officials
from the three groups — who say they are pro-immigrant but advocated
for reduced immigration — denounced the report, suggesting that
left-leaning groups had
been making similar accusations for years.
"It's
complete nonsense but they've pitching that for years," Mark Krikorian,
the executive director for the Center for Immigration Studies told The
Hill. "We're just
completely opposed to any kind of ethnic and racial criteria for
immigration. We just want less of it."
Dan
Stein, the president for FAIR, added, separately, that any suggestion
that the organization was trying to use immigration "to shape the ethnic
basis of our society
is full of crap" and amounted to "name calling."
The
three groups also suggested that the outside groups accuse them of
having ties to racism because left-leaning groups are "losing" the
immigration debate.
"This
stuff became a huge deal after they lost the amnesty fight of '07," Roy
Beck, the executive director of NumbersUSA told The Hill, adding that
the group has "no organic
connection with anybody, anything that deals with white nationalism."
A
Pew Center study released last year found that 49 percent of Americans
wanted immigration levels to decrease, compared to 15 percent who wanted
them increased and 34
percent who believe they should be kept at current levels.
But
a separate Gallup poll released in July found that 34 percent of
Americans wanted immigration levels to decrease, compared to 40 percent
who wanted them to stay at
current levels and 25 percent who wanted to see them increased.
The
PFAW report — entitled "The Anti-Immigration Lobby: The White
Nationalist Roots of the Organizations Fight Immigration" — explores the
ties that the three groups have
to John Tanton, a now-retired doctor. PFAW calls Tanton a "white
nationalist" who help build the "anti-immigration movement as we know it
today."
It's
not the first time the organizations, which are frequently cited by
conservative members of Congress, have been connected to Tanton or
accused of having ties to racism.
The
Southern Poverty Law Center has repeatedly written on three
organizations and classifies FAIR as a "hate group." In a 2002 article
that mentions the organizations,
the center said the "anti-immigration movement... is increasingly in
bed with racist hate groups."
Tanton
rebutted the article in 2003, adding that while he helped start
NumbersUSA he is not a member of the board and that he helped get
funding in 1985 for the Center
for Immigration Studies but "played no role in the Center's growth or
development."
The
People for the American Way was founded by Norman Lear, the creator and
producer of TV hits such as “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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