Anti-Immigrant Message Not Welcome at Tea Parties

Today, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) sent out an email to members telling them that they are lending their support to the Tax Day Tea Party efforts nationally on April 15, 2009. They had this to say:

"We are notifying our supporters of the plan for pro immigration enforcement groups to lend our support to the Tax Day Tea Party efforts nationally on April 15, 2009."

There are currently two separate groups organizing their own nationwide tea parties: The Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party (www.taxdayteaparty.com) and the American Family Association's (AFA) Official Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party www.teapartyday.com. We attempted to contact them both for comment.

Speaking by phone with Julia Nelson, spokesperson for the Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party, she explained that her organization was not aware of ALIPAC’s announcement. She also explained that although her group could not deny ALIPAC supporters the right to attend their event, ALIPAC’s message against undocumented immigrants is not welcome and will not be a part of the Tax Day Tea Party message.

According to the Anti-defamation League, Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC), led by William Gheen, is the “largest anti-immigrant group in the country”. The ADL says that ALIPAC led by Gheen is “a xenophobic anti-immigrant group…publicly branding undocumented immigrants as murderous criminals and disease carriers".

In a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, William Gheen makes a habit of using “nativist aphorisms” like “Call me old fashioned, but people should be able to shop at Wal-Mart without worrying about catching [t]uberculosis.”

The first of the “Tea Parties” were organized in February after CNBC reporter Rick Santelli called for "tea party"-style protests over the Federal stimulus package and government bailout programs. Since then, right-wing activists have been mobilizing for April 15th to protest any plan of President Obama and the Congress to save the country’s ailing economy.

We attempted several times to get in touch with the American Family Association, however were unable to get a comment from them on ALIPAC’s announcement at the time of publication.

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Southern Poverty Law Center takes on Nativist Lobby and Intolerance

Yesterday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) held a national press call releasing a report that examines the racist roots of the three organizations most responsible for blocking Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the Center for Immigration Studies and NumbersUSA are reported to be part of the same network of organizations founded and funded by John Tanton, a retired opthamologist from Michigan. The SPLC says Tanton, the architect of the anti-immigrant movement, has been at the heart of the white nationalist movement for decades.

The three D.C. groups, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), Center for Immigration Studies and NumbersUSA they say,

“have infiltrated the mainstream by presenting themselves as legitimate commentators, when, in reality, they were all conceived by a man who is convinced that non-white immigrants threaten America. They have never strayed far from their roots."

SPLC says their new report also examines how John Tanton, who still sits on FAIR's board of directors, founded the racist Social Contract Press and has corresponded with Holocaust deniers, white nationalist intellectuals and Klan lawyers for decades. The correspondence is documented by Tanton's own writings, which are stored at a University of Michigan library.

For the full report titled The Nativist Lobby: Three Faces of Intolerance, visit Southern Poverty Law Center at www.splcenter.org or by visiting this link.

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Video Reveals Link between Anti-Immigrant Groups and White Supremacists

A new video released from the Southern Poverty Law Center reveals what now is an undeniable link between anti-immigrant organization and white supremacists. The video titled, Behind The Veil: America's Anti-Immigration Network, starts by asking the question, "What if all the leading anti-immigration groups were founded by the same man, funded by the same organization, and [had] ties to White supremacy?" John Tanton, as the video discusses is that link.

Heidi Beirich, Deputy Director of the Intelligence Report with Southern Poverty Law Center and narrator of the video, reveals the connections between anti-immigrant forces and one of their founders and funders, retired ophthalmologist John Tanton.

In 1982, Tanton created U.S. Inc. as a fundraising arm to channel funds to his anti-immigration network. Over the years, U.S. Inc. has provided millions of dollars to FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform), U.S. English, the Center for Immigration Studies and several similar groups. 21st Century Fund, Population-Environment Balance, and the Immigration Reform Law Institute, which is now a litigation arm of FAIR, have also been the beneficiaries of funding from U.S. Inc.

Tanton became tied with controversy after writing a memo stating that Latin American immigrants brought a culture of political corruption with them to the United States, and that they were unlikely to involve themselves in civil life. Such outrageous and hate driven statements towards immigrants have become the hallmark of the groups Tanton funds.

In a press release from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), President Janet Murguia said, "There is a debate to be had over immigration and we're anxious to have it. But, so far, the rhetoric has not been about policy, it has been about hate. No good policy has ever come from the demonization of one group by another. The hate has got to stop."

In the video, Beirich points out the connection between the dramatic rise in hate groups over the past eight years and their refocus on anti-immigrant rhetoric. According to the SPLC, the number of hate groups targeting Latinos is up 48% since the year 2000. "On the one hand," says Beirich, "the anti-immigrant system is based on pandering to the extremists that you know will join your ranks, back you, fund you, and attend your events. On the other hand, it tries to use groups like FAIR to present a more moderate face that seems disconnected from these folks, but really at the end of the day, isn't."

Murguia responded that "Most people don't realize that these groups have common origins and agendas that are suspect."

Not surprising, Oregonians for Immigration Reform has close ties to FAIR. On numerous occasions over the last several months, FAIR has sent out emails on behalf of Oregonians for Immigration Reform. As well, OFIR links to the organization and regularly promotes their activities. Last Tuesday, OFIR leadership sent out an email to their members urging them to attend an event in Washington D.C. being sponsored by FAIR.

Much like FAIR, Oregonians for Immigration Reform maintains publicly that they are not racist or hateful towards Latinos or founded on such principles. Last month however, a reader alerted CAUSA that Oregonians for Immigration reform had ties to a white supremacist website called New Nation (www.newnation.org).

In a Google search for “Oregonians for Immigration Reform”, a link revealed that the Oregon based anti-immigrant group’s website was formerly hosted by New Nation. (www.newnation.org/OIR/oir.html) A review of New Nation’s site shows an overtly racist agenda, one that seeks to promote hate of African and Latino Americans and non-whites. Additionally, posts in New Nation’s “Newroom” reveal an uncensored use of racial epithets and hate speech towards non-whites by New Nation "reporters".

Readers will remember the report on an Oregonians for Immigration Reform member in January who had been convicted of child molestation and known for racist remarks directed towards blacks and Latinos. Bruce Benkle, a barber in Fairview, was known well among OFIR leadership to be overtly racist. In one blog post last year, he boasted of frequenting a website that “had funny” yet, “racist” “jokes about Mexicans”. Benkle’s racist remark is just one of the almost daily statements by known OFIR members who equate Latino immigrants to “vermin”, and the blame for all America’s economic woes, contradicting the declaration of the organization to be free from racism and hate.

resources and links
Behind The Veil: America's Anti-Immigration Network
NCLR Press Release
OFIR hosted by New Nation

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Hate Crimes Against Latinos Fueled by Groups, Commentators?

An editorial yesterday highlighted the new FBI statistics showing a 35 percent increase in hate crimes against Latinos between 2003 and 2006. In addition to the FBI statistics, the editorial points out that a Southern Poverty Law Center reports that hate groups are on the rise as well. They counted a total of 888 nationwide--44 more than it counted in 2006 and 286 since 2000. 11 of the 888 are in Oregon.

What is fueling the hate?

“extreme sentiments, once the exclusive province of white supremacists, have begun to seep into the mainstream. They’ve become the common verbal currency of nativist immigration-reform activists, talk radio hosts, cable TV commentators and even elected officials who smear immigrants as criminal aliens, invaders, terrorists and cockroaches — human detritus whose dangerous, lawless presence must be swept from this country.”

The editorial falls short of naming those “immigration reform activists", talk radio hosts and cable TV commentators and even elected officials. We can be sure that Oregon has at least a few talk radio show hosts and a couple "immigration reform groups" that fit the modus operandi.

The solution to the climate of hate we find ourselves?

“In this year’s elections, Americans should choose candidates for both Congress and the White House who will help make true reform a reality and begin healing a nation that has been too long and too deeply torn over immigration.”

Based on the rejection of anti-immigrant candidates like Mitt Romney and Tom Tancredo, it appears Americans are trying to head in that direction.

Read the entire editorial here

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