Views out of touch with the majority of Coloradans following 2010 electionsDenver, CO - Today, the "Republican Study Committee of Colorado" is holding a "summit" on immigration policy at the Old Supreme Court Chambers in the State Capitol. The views represented at the "summit" are entirely from the same anti-immigration perspective that FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) and other anti-immigrant front groups for John Tanton and
the Pioneer Fund have used over the last decade with no success. The agenda for today's "summit" seems out of touch with Colorado voters given the extreme viewpoints are similar to the platforms of Tom Tancredo and Ken Buck that Colorado voters rejected on November 2nd.
The work of the Pioneer Fund and its network in sponsoring eugenics research and supporting white supremacist organizations has been repeatedly exposed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligencefiles/profiles/john-tanton). FAIR, Center for Immigration Studies, and Numbers USA are all funded and directed by the same network of anti-immigrant ideologues who espouse the same unrealistic and unconstitutional restrictionist agenda, or as John Tanton, the founder of the FAIR network, himself put it in a letter to a colleague: "I've come to the point of view that for European-American society and culture to persist requires a European-American majority, and a clear one at that."- Dec. 10, 1993.
" The majority of Coloradans voted to reject the extreme polices of Tom Tancredo and the John Tanton network on November 2nd." Noted Julie Gonzales, Organizing Director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), "It is disappointing to now see Colorado State legislators fall for this snake oil show! We elect our leaders to take us in the right direction, and we expect them to use the best information available to them to make good decisions. When you see legislators being taken for a ride like this, and you see some of them leading the charge, you start to question their motivations."
This isn't the first time extreme outside groups have tried to influence Colorado policy; in the 2006 Colorado State special session FAIR and CIS served as a source for much of the misinformed and failed anti-immigrant legislation that came out. They are also responsible for funding and supporting the work of Kris Kobach, the Kansas Secretary of State-elect, who is responsible for the unconstitutional Arizona SB-1070 law and the Fremont, NE renters ordinance that just got suspended due to legal issues. According to the expose done by National Public Radio, Kobach and FAIR were also major beneficiaries of the donations given by the prison companies GEO and CCA in order to create anti-immigrant policies like SB-1070.
" This "summit" is nothing but a publicity stunt by an organization devoid of any credibility in the policy world," said Julien Ross, Executive Director of CIRC. " It's meant to take attention away from the national movement for the DREAM Act and comprehensive reform that has gained steam with voters over the last few weeks. With the DREAM Act coming up for a vote, many of the folks in the Pioneer fund world will do anything to stop it from becoming a reality. However, the majority of Coloradans and Americans want workable, realistic and humane solutions, and we expect Congress to support the DREAM Act."
Metro Organizations for People (MOP) and Padres y Jovenes Unidos, are holding a press conference today at noon with the Denver City Council to push for the DREAM act and support the Denver City Council proclamation in support of DREAM, introduced today by Councilman Paul Lopez. Other events throughout the state will take place this week; please check out www.coloradoimmigrant.org for up to date information.
