Thread: Growth of Nativism in Congress

Thursday, October 11, 2007
New Report Looks at Growth of Nativism in Congress
posted by Duke1676
A new report from Building Democracy Initiative examines the growing role of nativism in national politics. Chronicling the rise of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, the BDI report, Nativism in the House: A Report on the House Immigration Reform Caucus examines not only the growing influence of nativist and xenophobic philosophies in national politics, but the concerted effort of far right to bring their extreme ideological agenda to the forefront .

The "report tells us much regarding the shape that "immigration politics" and public policy is likely to take in the foreseeable future. The Caucus's extreme ideological agenda, long-standing ties to anti-immigrant groups, and cohesion in a fractured House of Representatives makes it a noxious ingredient in the melting pot of America. It has drawn even well-intentioned immigration reform proposals down into an abyss of nativism and xenophobia."



Nativism in the House: A Report on the House Immigration Reform Caucus

In the ebb and flow of nativist politics, the House Immigration Reform Caucus has been one of the most powerful and significant forces on Capitol Hill. With 110 congressmen and women as of this report, its members constitute fully one quarter of the House of Representatives. Members have introduced some of the most punitive legislation proposed during the last two House sessions. Their past chairman, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), is now running for president and participating in national debates. Their current chairman, Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), is a former lobbyist for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Some of its members have helped legitimize vigilante organizations such as the Minutemen. While voters tend to view their representatives as individuals or by party affiliation, the members of the House Caucus have acted as a bloc. Collectively, they have stood athwart the legislative process, preventing the emergence of meaningful and humane policy choices. And they have gone all the while virtually unnoticed.

In this report, the Center for New Community's Building Democracy Initiative examines the House Immigration Reform Caucus.

The Anti-Immigrant Movement Sets the Stage

From the emergence of a new nativist movement in the late 1970s, groups such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) have sought influence inside Washington D.C….

…Today, a dozen anti-immigrant organizations maintain national profiles. These groups have combined annual budgets of over twelve million dollars, and an active donor base of between six hundred thousand and seven hundred fifty thousand. As these national groups have expanded their influence, the number of state and local organizations has jumped up. Between January of 2005 and January of 2007, such groups have increased in number by 600 percent.

Formation of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus and Rep. Tom Tancredo

…Tom Tancredo founded the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus (hereinafter the Caucus or HIRC) in May 1999, soon after he began his first term as a Republican congressman from Colorado's Sixth District. During its first years, the Caucus had few members and served largely as a platform for Tancredo's views on immigration….

On August 1, 2001—five weeks before the events of 9-11—Tancredo introduced H.R. 2712, a bill intended to begin a moratorium on legal immigration, according to the Library of Congress' THOMAS website. Much of the recent public discussion on immigration policy has been voiced about "illegal" immigration. The particulars of this bill, however, demonstrate that opposition to legal entry remains an integral part of so-called immigration reform. This initial proposal would have cut the number of visas issued for family-sponsored immigrants to zero. And it would have cut the visas for "priority workers" to zero. The bill was referred to committee, however, and went nowhere. Undeterred, Tancredo introduced H.R. 3222 on November 1, 2001 with the intention of sharply reducing the number of H1-B visas issued to high-tech professionals. That bill also was referred and died in a subcommittee.

It is useful to remember that questions related to immigration have always been intertwined with questions of national identity. As Rep. Tancredo told one interviewer, "…if we don't control immigration, legal and illegal, we will eventually reach the point where it won't be what kind of a nation we are, balkanized or united, we will have to face the fact that we are no longer a nation at all…" His is a sentiment which has been oft repeated by members of the HIRC….

The year 2005 was a watershed year for the anti-immigrant movement. In April, the Minuteman organization was launched with an armed civilian "border watch" in Arizona. Although President Bush described the Minutemen as "vigilantes," the HIRC defended and praised the group in a "Field Report" entitled "Results and Implications of the Minuteman Project." In a separate statement, Caucus member Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) said, "The Minuteman Project is a shining example of how community initiative and involvement can help make America a safer, better place to live." The sentiment was echoed by the eight other congressmen cited in the press release.

Also in 2005, Tancredo personally introduced a resolution proposing that the Constitution be amended to establish English as the "official language," another resolution "recognizing the importance of Western civilization," legislation to enhance border enforcement and curtail H1-B visas, as well as several amendments aimed at changing federal enforcement policies. He introduced eleven different measures in all, none of which succeeded. But Tancredo had raised the flag of the anti-immigrant movement within Congress. By August, the Caucus registry had grown to 82 members of the House.

By December of that year, the House passed H.R. 4437, known popularly as the "Sensenbrenner Bill." James Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin's 5th District, was first elected to congress in 1978, and was chairman of the House Judiciary Committee at the time. He was not then, and is not now, a member of Tancredo's Immigration Reform Caucus. Nevertheless, H.R. 4437 was widely regarded by both immigrant rights activists and moderates as an unnecessarily harsh bill that was unlikely to pass in the Senate. It would have turned undocumented immigrants into felons (current law considers this violation a misdemeanor) and thus make them ineligible for citizenship in the future. It would have also criminalized anyone who gave them assistance of any kind, including providing them with simple social welfare or routine medical services. The bill also called for the construction of 700 miles of fencing on the southern border.

The debate in Congress became so vicious that even conservatives were forced to comment on its racism. "Some anti-immigrant Republicans are guilty of demagoguery and racism," one Republican governor, Mike Huckabee from Arkansas, told the press.

http://migramatters.blogspot.com/200...-nativism.html

Alipac members should make sure their Representative is a member of the "House Immigration Reform Caucus" and Arkansas needs a new governor that upholds America's laws and that doesn't work for Mexico and big business.

you aint seen nothing yet....... we are mobilizing the citizens of this fine nation and we are cleaning house ...

"Corruption can run; but it cannot hide"

Originally Posted by AirborneSapper7

you aint seen nothing yet....... we are mobilizing the citizens of this fine nation and we are cleaning house ...

"Corruption can run; but it cannot hide"

LOL I know......even though the author intended the opposite, I was actually inspired by this article

And LOL at "conservatives" like Huckabee call it racist. Huckabee is an OBL clown like many despite their party affiliation.

come on Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and TOM TANCREDO ... help save America. The top tier aint cutting it

Chronicling the rise of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, the BDI report, Nativism in the House: A Report on the House Immigration Reform Caucus examines not only the growing influence of nativist and xenophobic philosophies in national politics, but the concerted effort of far right to bring their extreme ideological agenda to the forefront .

Wow, I have to be a xenophobic far right extremist to give a crap about this?

Nobody sent me that email. Dang, time to put the bell, book, and candle back in the closet.

A temporary moratorium on all immigration while this problem is cleaned up is not, IMO, that ridiculous a proposal. I would prefer to see the current laws actually enforced and not see the problem come to that (which it is not far from it at this rate, sadly), but I do not see it as xenophobic or racist to consider it as a short-term tool... not unlike a dam that can be re-opened after the river is dredged.

Originally Posted by orchid_noir

Wow, I have to be a xenophobic far right extremist to give a crap about this?

Nobody sent me that email. Dang, time to put the bell, book, and candle back in the closet.

A temporary moratorium on all immigration while this problem is cleaned up is not, IMO, that ridiculous a proposal. I would prefer to see the current laws actually enforced and not see the problem come to that (which it is not far from it at this rate, sadly), but I do not see it as xenophobic or racist to consider it as a short-term tool... not unlike a dam that can be re-opened after the river is dredged.

If we keep even LEGAL immigration at current levels, we will be an overpopulated Third World nation by mid-century.

Who would have imagined being called so many exotic names because you choose to stand up for your country? What do these morons think is going to happen after they bleed us dry? Where else is there for them to go?

Mike Huckaby won't admit it, but he supports Mexicans over everyone else including Americans. He is either a bigot or a traitor.

Re:

A new report from Building Democracy Initiative examines the growing role of nativism in national politics

Ha! That's funny. It's also called protecting your own country first which is part of Congress' job description. Maybe the proverbial 'light bulb' came on and realize they work for the American people first, above all the interests of foreign governments, multinational corporations, special interests, etc.

Originally Posted by orchid_noir

A temporary moratorium on all immigration while this problem is cleaned up is not, IMO, that ridiculous a proposal. I would prefer to see the current laws actually enforced and not see the problem come to that (which it is not far from it at this rate, sadly), but I do not see it as xenophobic or racist to consider it as a short-term tool... not unlike a dam that can be re-opened after the river is dredged.

A temporary moratorium is the sanest course when assimilation isn't occurring. I don't know why people shy away from this subject since we're eventually going to be forced to debate this as a nation. We don't have an endless capacity for absorbing people, although this is what we're being asked to do in order to prove our non-racist, multicultural-loving bona fides. It's ridiculous, and only Western nations seem afflicted with this malady.

We can't continue allowing ourselves to be put on the defensive by epithets and insinuations; the type that cause us to exclaim "I'm not a racist", "I'm not against immigration, just ILLEGAL immigration". Personally, I feel no need to defend myself against such accusations, and where many invoke racism in this debate, I perceive the presence of projection. The immigration issue is too critical, too all-encompassing to be led off course by petty distractions. Barring physical and mental intimidation, or the denial of basic rights, it isn't really relevant what people think about each other; and despite the desire on the part of some, you can't legislate thoughts. The critical issue is overpopulation accompanied by non-assimilation, and the pervasive effects of that on our communities and institutions.