New Anti-Immigration Ads Leave The Facts Behind

Coalition For The Future American Worker

CFAW Is A Coalition Of Several Anti-Immigration Groups.  The Coalition for the Future American Worker is comprised of Californians for Population Stabilization, Federation for American Immigration Reform, NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation, American Immigration Control Foundation, American Engineering Association, The Programmer's Guild, American Council on Immigration Reform, American Jobs Coalition, ZaZona.com, and The Communications Workers of America, Local 4250. [AmericanWorker.org, accessed 3/15/10]

At Least Three Members Of CFAW Are Listed As "Anti-Immigration."  The Southern Poverty Law Center lists Federation for American Immigration Reform, NumbersUSA, and American Immigration Control Foundation as "anti-immigration" groups. [SPLCenter.org, accessed 3/15/10]

Several CFAW Groups Are Connected With The John Tanton Network.  According to a report by America's Voice, Federation for American Immigration Reform, American Immigration Control Foundation, NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation, Californians for Population Stabilization, and American Council on Immigration Reform are all connected to John Tanton.  [America's Voice, 12/10/09]

John Tanton Has Close Ties To White Supremacists And Promoters Of Eugenics.  The Rocky Mountain News reported:  "...the closest ties between Tanton and the white nationalist and segregationist movements is in his own office complex in Petoskey. Wayne Lutton is editor of Social Contract Press [Tanton's publication]. A widely published author and intellectual on matters of immigration and culture, Lutton co-authored with Tanton in 1994 a widely read book on the issue titled The Immigration Invasion. In a display of the strange brew of interests attracted to the book's point of view, the foreword was written by the late liberal senator from Minnesota, Eugene McCarthy, and the book was favorably reviewed on the Web site of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke...Another source of left-wing criticism of Tanton is that his original organization, FAIR, accepted about $1.2 million in funding between 1985 and 1994 from the New York-based Pioneer Fund. The purpose of the fund is to 'advance the scientific study of heredity and human differences.' Critics such as the Southern Poverty Law Center call it a hate group because it has funded some activities of white nationalists including Taylor." [Rocky Mountain News, 7/15/06]

Tanton: Immigration Brings  Millions Of Extra People "Defecating And Creating Garbage And Looking For Jobs." The Detroit Free Press reported, "If immigration continues at current levels, the Census Bureau projects that U.S. population will approach 400 million by mid-century -- with millions of extra people 'defecating and creating garbage and looking for jobs,' as Tanton put it." [Detroit Free Press, 3/14/97]

Ad - "How to Put Americans Back to Work in 30 Sec."

Actor: "They gave me 30 seconds to tell you how to put Americans back to work.  I don't need 30 seconds.  We just need President Obama to start enforcing immigration laws so millions more American could have jobs." 

Narrator: "Put Americans back to work.  Call the White House at 202-456-1414.  Paid for by the Coalition for the Future American Worker." [AmericanWorker.org, accessed 3/15/10]

Ad - "Jobs for Americans Should Be President Obama's Priority"

Actor: "President Obama claims jobs are his top priority.  Not jobs for Americans.  He's reduced work site enforcement of immigration laws by 60%.  When caught, illegal workers are just released so they can go take another job.   Folks, the president is doing next to nothing about 8 million illegal foreign workers, while millions of Americans are jobless.  I know, I'm one of them."

Narrator: "Call President Obama and ask him to start enforcing immigration laws" [AmericanWorker.org, accessed 3/15/10]

The Obama White House HAS Been Enforcing Existing Immigration Laws

More Deportations Occurring Under Obama Than Under Bush.  Agence France Presse reported: "A total of 387,790 people were deported from the United States in 2009, up from 264,503 under the administration of President George W. Bush, according to government figures cited by the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a coalition of several organizations." [AFP via Google, 3/9/10]

Obama Administration Dedicated To Pursuing Violent Undocumented Immigrants.  According to the Washington Post: "The Obama administration has announced that its priority is to remove those guilty of violent or serious crimes. (Being in the country illegally is a civil violation, not a criminal offense.)" To that end, "Fairfax County's Adult Detention Center [VA] has quietly helped pilot a far-reaching program designed to identify criminal illegal immigrants and assist the federal government in removing them from the United States." [Washington Post, 2/22/10]

Obama Administration Is Seeking A Path For Undocumented Workers To Become Legal Residents

White House Is Pursuing Legislation To Provide Undocumented Immigrants With A Path To Citizenship.  The Los Angeles Times reported: "Obama and members of his Domestic Policy Council outlined ways to resuscitate the effort in a White House meeting with two senators -- Democrat Charles E. Schumer of New York and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- who have spent months trying to craft a bill...The basis of a bill would include a path toward citizenship for the 10.8 million people living in the U.S. illegally. Citizenship would not be granted lightly, the White House said. Undocumented workers would need to register, pay taxes and pay a penalty for violating the law. Failure to comply might result in deportation." [Los Angeles Times, 3/4/10; emphasis added]

Undocumented Immigrants Do Not Have A Large Impact On U.S. Unemployment Figures

Highest Unemployment Found In Places With "Few Recent Immigrants."  According to the Immigration Policy Center's report titled The Unemployment and Immigration Disconnect: Untying the Knot:  "The highest unemployment rates are found in counties located in manufacturing centers and rural areas-which tend to have relatively few recent immigrants. Recent immigrants usually go where the jobs are: metropolitan and non-manufacturing counties where unemployment rates are lower." [Immigration Policy Center, May 2009]

Recent Immigrants Are Larger Part Of Population In Places With Lowest Unemployment.  According to the Immigration Policy Center's report titled The Unemployment and Immigration Disconnect: Untying the Knot: "On average, recent immigrants comprise 3.1 percent of the population in counties with the highest unemployment rates (over 13.4 percent). But recent immigrants account for a higher share of the population (4.6 percent) in counties with the lowest unemployment rates (below 4.8 percent)." [Immigration Policy Center, May 2009; parentheses original]

"Little Apparent Relationship Between Unemployment" And "Recent Immigrants."  According to the Immigration Policy Center's report titled The Unemployment and Immigration Disconnect: Untying the Knot: "There is little apparent relationship between unemployment and the presence of recent immigrants at the regional, state, or county level in the United States. While it might seem intuitive that immigrants would compete with many native-born workers for jobs, and potentially cause unemployment to rise when jobs are relatively scarce, the fact is that the causes of unemployment are far more complex than whether or not immigrants are in the labor force." [Immigration Policy Center, May 2009]

Immigrants Have Minor Impact On State And Local Budgets

In Most States, Less Than 5% Of State Budget Spent On Undocumented Immigrant Costs.  According to a 2007 report from the CBO titled "The Impact of Unauthorized Immigrants on the Budgets of State and Local Governments": "In most of the estimates that CBO examined, however, spending for unauthorized immigrants accounted for less than 5 percent of total state and local spending for those services. Spending for unauthorized immigrants in certain jurisdictions in California was higher but still represented less than 10 percent of total spending for those services." [CBO, December 2007]

50% Of Undocumented Immigrants Pay Income And Payroll Taxes.  According to a 2007 report from the CBO titled "The Impact of Unauthorized Immigrants on the Budgets of State and Local Governments": "Several of the states whose estimates CBO reviewed used a model developed by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) to determine state and local taxes paid by unauthorized immigrants. ITEP assumes a 50 percent compliance rate for income and payroll taxes." [CBO, December 2007]

75% Of Undocumented Immigrants Have Taxes Withheld From Paychecks.  According to a 2007 report from the CBO titled "The Impact of Unauthorized Immigrants on the Budgets of State and Local Governments": "As part of a larger study on migration, the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California at San Diego conducted a survey of unauthorized immigrants and found that, in 2006, 75 percent had taxes withheld from their paychecks, filed tax returns, or both." [CBO, December 2007]