Minnesota Lawyer September 12, 2008 11:12 AM CDT Letter to the Editor: Characterizations of immigration-reform group FAIR ‘salacious’
To the editor: Since the defeat of the Bush-Kennedy immigration bill in June 2007, there has been a steady stream of ad hominem attacks against the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), all based on the self-serving work of an obscure journal called the Intelligence Report. In spite of its impressive moniker, the Intelligence Report is the in-house publication of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a well-funded advocacy group that according to Harper’s magazine (a genuine news publication) raises tens of millions of dollars by putting out alarmist reports accusing their political foes of spreading hate. Working in concert with other political interests inside the beltway, the SPLC has spent much time trying to smear the reputations of others and done virtually nothing to develop sound immigration policies or encourage a meaningful public discourse about the need for immigration reform. Thus, I was hardly surprised when these same allegations were raised by representatives of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (the people who stand to earn substantial sums of money from amnesty legislation) in response to my being invited to participate in this year’s Criminal Justice Institute. Nor was I surprised that the leadership of the Minnesota CLE dismissed these allegations as frivolous and rejected attempts to have FAIR removed from the panel. I was, however, surprised to see that Minnesota Lawyer, a publication with which I am very familiar having spent part of my legal career in Minnesota, would allow itself to become the mouthpiece for AILA’s political agenda by parroting salacious characterizations of FAIR without any independent investigation of the veracity of the allegations, or the agenda of those making them. (See “Immigration bar says FAIR is unfair, questions CLE spot.”) If Minnesota Lawyer had done a little earnest probing into FAIR, it would have discovered that FAIR has a well-documented 29-year record of educating the public about all aspects of immigration policy. This record shows that FAIR has consistently supported changes to our legal and illegal immigration policies that make the interests of the American people paramount, not an afterthought. ... FAIR has testified before Congress on [immigration] issues about 100 times over the years and has been a source of information, analysis and commentary to every major newspaper and media outlet in the United States. FAIR’s record is equally consistent with regard to how this nation should treat immigrants. Unlike our critics who seek to blur important distinctions, FAIR distinguishes clearly between immigration policy — which can and should be debated like any other public policy — and immigrants who deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. We believe that immigrants to our country should be admitted based on their individual merits, without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, or country of origin, and should be welcomed and integrated into the mainstream of American society. Finally, FAIR is one of only
155 charities nationwide — and the only immigration-related nonprofit — to be accredited by the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. Moreover, had Minnesota Lawyer done some basic investigation into AILA, it would have also discovered that AILA, like many special interests organizations, stands to benefit through the passage of “comprehensive immigration reform.” Over the last three years alone, AILA has joined the ranks of Microsoft, Associated Builders and Contractors, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others who have spent tens of thousands of dollars lobbying for amnesty and other piecemeal immigration bills that undermine the enforcement of our laws and the integrity of our immigration system. Given AILA’s political agenda, I am sure they were pleased indeed that they were able to use Minnesota Lawyer to smear its opponents. Sadly, the lesson for Minnesotans is that when it comes to immigration, every move is made with special interests in mind. Julie Kirchner is the executive director of FAIR. She can be reached at (202) 328-7004.