Thread: Miami activist opposes push for immigration amnesty

Miami activist opposes push for immigration amnesty
A prominent Miami civil rights activist has taken a leading role in protesting legislation that would give illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship.
By Lesley Clark
The Miami Herald, April 26, 2007
http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/86837.html

Washington -- T. Willard Fair, an ally of former Gov. Jeb Bush, is the new face of opposition to proposals like one championed by President Bush to allow undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship.

Fair, president of the Urban League of Greater Miami, is appearing in ads in The Washington Post and RollCall, a Capitol Hill newspaper, saying that ``to black Americans, amnesty is an immoral seizure of our jobs.

''Amnesty for illegal workers is not just a slap in the face to black Americans. It's an economic disaster,'' he says in the ad, which identifies him as a civil rights leader, not as an Urban League executive.

The ads are sponsored by the Coalition for the Future American Worker. Its members include the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which wants to beef up border security, end illegal immigration and cut legal immigration in half.

''I see illegal immigration and the adverse impact that it has on the political empowerment of African Americans, and the impact it has on the job market,'' Fair, a political independent, said in a telephone interview with The Miami Herald.

LOST JOBS

The ad quotes Fair saying black Americans have lost ''hundreds of thousands of jobs to foreign workers willing to work for next to nothing,'' and blames undocumented immigrants for ``40 percent of the decline in employment among black American men.''

It cites a 2006 National Bureau of Economic Research paper that suggests a ``strong correlation between immigration, black wages, black employment rates and black incarceration rates.''

Other economists, though, have suggested that the numbers don't hold up. And Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, which supports earned citizenship, said the ad preys on fears.

''I understand the concerns, but it's wrong on the facts and it's wrong on its reflection of black interest,'' said Henderson, a former Washington director for the NAACP. ``It's wrong for the country as a whole and it's not where black people are.''

Fair's advocacy gets mixed reviews in Miami.

''It's not true that immigrants take jobs from black folks,'' said activist Mel Reeves, who participates in demonstrations on behalf of low-wage workers. ``The solution is not to pit one group against the other, but create jobs so everyone can be gainfully employed.''

But Fair said in the interview he also is worried that unchecked immigration could cost blacks politically -- by diluting mostly black congressional districts.

''As we are at a zenith of our political power; with what's happening with illegal immigration we could easily lose six or eight seats,'' Fair said.

Fair said he hasn't talked about his stance with Jeb Bush, who appointed him to the state Board of Education and with whom he co-founded the state's first charter school in Miami.

''I don't need permission to talk to people about things that are important to me,'' Fair said. ``This is not disrespectful of Jeb or George. I'd be a puppet if I agreed with everything they did.''

CRITICS LINING UP

Fair's comments come as critics line up opposition to legislation that would provide a means to citizenship. The Senate is expected to debate immigration legislation next month, followed by the House. Though Democrats criticized Republicans for not passing legislation last year, critics suggest parts of the Democratic base -- including some labor groups and blacks -- are less than enthusiastic about including earned citizenship for those in the country illegally.

''Our leadership is silent on the issue, and what a shame, what a shame,'' Fair said.

The NAACP, though, has endorsed allowing a path to citizenship. Sen. Barack Obama, a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, has said he would not support legislation that does not include an earned path to citizenship. A spokesman for the National Urban League said the group has not taken a stance on immigration reform.

Advocates for comprehensive immigration reform point to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll that shows 78 percent support earned citizenship for some undocumented workers.

''The debate has shifted,'' said Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum. 'These people are here and most Americans have decided, `We don't want to give them a free pass, but if we make rules and they jump through hoops they should be given a chance at citizenship.' ''

A poll of 800 registered voters done for the group and released Wednesday showed that 70 percent of American blacks supported a path to citizenship, compared to 75 percent of white voters surveyed.

Fair, though, said he believes black leaders have been reluctant to criticize immigration because immigrants were among the first to embrace black civil rights organizations.

Roy Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA, which belongs to the coalition and supports capping immigration, said he hopes to run radio spots featuring Fair. He said he was captivated by him after attending a symposium in Washington that Fair initiated on blacks and immigration. ''I wondered why aren't the black leaders standing up for black workers,'' Beck said. ``Willard is willing to say the emperor has no clothes.''

A poll of 800 registered voters done for the group and released Wednesday showed that 70 percent of American blacks supported a path to citizenship, compared to 75 percent of white voters surveyed.

Does anyone think that the polling company would come up with anything else but this LIE. This is a classic PUSH poll done with only 800 people and is totally worthless. Reverse the numbers and it would be more accurate!

The media and our government has done an incredible job convincing us that we just can't survive without immigration.

Most of us know deep down this is a lie but if any of us causally mentions anything like a moratorium on immigration and the person you're talking to most likely will give you a look that would turn water solid.

Americans really do need to understand this is our nation and we can decide to allow immigration or not without being hateful or racist even in the least and America will be just fine.

We can make our own decision thank you very much.