Ever wonder who those people are on the news talking about Immigration?
The media uses a basic group of people each time: NumbersUSA, Center for Immigration Studies, Heritage Foundation, and Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform.
Do you think CNN and the Today Show know that they are talking to someone who thinks Hispanics have too many babies and can't be educated? How about "genetic breeding for purity"?
Any of these expressions sound familiar? They were used by the Nazis.
Often times, these experts criticize illegal immigration with similiar talking points.
That's because NumbersUSA, FAIR, and CIS are founded by the same person.
And that person receives money from White Supremacists.
I wish I was making this up.
More below
NumbersUSA, FAIR, and the Center for Immigration Studies all were founded by John Tanton, a retired doctor from Michigan.
Tanton is an interesting guy, he's the editor and publisher of The Social Contract, and used to be a part of something called Zero Population Growth. The Social Contract is a right wing publication who recently criticized the Economic Stimulus Bill as funding for illegal immigration. (You can watch their 3 person "press conference" on youtube, it's hilarious.)
Zero Population Growth was a group that believed that the world is becoming over-populated. Apparently they split up into two factions in the 70s, those who blamed poor countries for having too many babies and those who sought to make Family Planning (abortions and contraception) available everywhere. So more people would have less kids.
Sound crazy yet?
(I'm pro-choice by the way and believe that family planning is important.)
John Tanton set up several other anti-immigrant organizations after FAIR was created. He founded U.S. Inc. (1982), U.S. English (1983), Center for Immigration Studies (1985), Social Contract Press (1990), Pro English (1994), ProjectUSA, and Numbers USA (1996).
In fact, CIS, FAIR, NumbersUSA, Project-USA -- and more than a half-dozen similar groups that Republicans have become disturbingly comfy with -- were founded or funded (or both) by John Tanton, a retired doctor in Michigan. In addition to trying to stop immigration to the U.S. and appropriate population-control measures, Dr. Tanton and his network include promoting China's one-child policy, sterilizing Third World women and wider use of RU-486.
Wall Street Journal June 17,2004
NumbersUSA, Center for Immigration Studies, and FAIR all make regular appearances on CNN and even MSNBC. NumbersUSA specifically has testified before Congress several thousand times.
Why hasn't anybody pointed out their vested interests?
They did.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, found himself suddenly a victim of their wrath when he supported Bushes failed Immigration overhaul in 2004.
Representative Cannon began investigating his critics and found the obvious paper trail.
"Tanton set up groups like CIS and FAIR to take an analytical approach to immigration from a Republican point of view so that they can give cover to Republicans who oppose immigration for other reasons."
Rep. Cannon Wall Street Journal 2004
What do you think those other reasons were? Racism maybe?
ProjectUSA and Coalition For the American Worker (which Roy Beck also heads), began running attack billboards in Rep. Cannon's district, saying he supported blanket amnesty for illegals.
Rep. Cannon still won that race.
For those who have read this far and who still might doubt that these organizations are in fact racism masquarading as information, there is a direct link between a white supremecist group and John Tanton: The Pioneer Fund.
The Pioneer Fund is a non profit that does controversial "research" on the relation between genetics and intelligence. They published a now widely discredited study of the IQ differences between races, called The Bell Curve. They promote and study Eugenics the idea of "breeding for perfection."
The Pioneer Fund has had several Nazi sympathizers on it's board, and The Wall Street Journal and Southern Poverty Law Center both classify the Pioneer Fund as a White supremecist group.
John Tanton himself has admitted to receiving 1.5 million dollars from The Pioneer Fund, despite acknowledging their controversial past.
To Recap here's the chart again, but bigger:
I'll give the names of each people in the Boxes Left to right, top to bottom:
Dan Stein, Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform (FAIR, Roy Beck, NumbersUSA, Mark Kirkorian, Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), Robert Rector, Heritage Foundation.
Next row:
Rosemary Jenks, NumbersUSA, Steve Camarota, CIS
NumbersUSA, Center for Immigration Studies, and FAIR are literally referenced everywhere from NPR to ABC and yet no one mentions that they receive the majority of their money from people who believe in sterilizing the third world.
NumbersUSA has even been referenced here on Dailykos by a few posters who have eaten their crap.
The next time you hear a story about Immigration referencing these people, question their motives.
The Wall Street Journal didan excellent piece exploring in detail these groups connections in funding.
Another great more in depth article from a RightWeb explores everything and includes references. It's pretty scary.