Speaking for God and for America's Top Cops - the Center for Immigration Studies

America’s top religious and law enforcement leaders are taking a strong stance in favor of sensible immigration reform and it’s made the anti-immigrant crowd very nervous.

In response, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the anti-immigrant lobby’s “think tank,” released two reports, written by the same author, claiming that Los Angeles police chief William Bratton and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, don't know what they're talking about.

An offshoot of the Federation for American Immigration Reform – designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center – CIS’ role is to halt the anti-immigrant movement's dwindling credibility.  They do this by releasing reports written by their "experts” to counter the views of actual auathorities in their fields.

CIS’ credibility took a hit earlier this year with a report blaming immigrants for global warming and another when CIS director Mark Krikorian called on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to pronounce her name in a less ethnic-sounding way.  But the widening chasm between actual experts and the CIS peanut gallery has become almost laughable.

Let's meet one of the Center's "experts":  James R. Edwards, a principal of the MITA ("Man in the Action") Group. Despite not having a badge or a collar, Edwards is a CIS “expert” on law enforcement, the Bible and a number of other issues.

Here's how the Center for Immigration Studies and Edwards defend America's broken immigration policies:

Step One:  Law enforcement experts discuss changes to our ineffective immigration enforcement policies – July 22, 2009.

Step Two: CIS releases a report claiming to be the real law enforcement experts - October 27, 2009.

On July 22, over one hundred leading law enforcement officials gathered in Phoenix for the National Summit on Local Immigration Policies.  According to the Arizona Republic:

Police administrators were especially critical of the government's "287(g)" program, which provides for state and local police to enforce immigration law.

This view was articulated most recently by Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton and throughout the year by many other chiefs including Jeff Hadley of Kalamazoo, MI; the Washington State Sheriffs’ Association; J. Thomas Manger of Montgomery County, MD; Hubert Williams, President of the Police Foundation and chief of Newark, NJ; and many others.

On October 27th, CIS released a report basically claiming that the chiefs don’t know what they’re talking about.  Trouble is, Edwards and Jessica Vaughn, the authors of the report, have absolutely no real law enforcement experience.

Step One: Religious leaders pray for immigration reform – September 15th, 2009.

Step Two: CIS releases a report claiming to be the real Biblical experts – October 6, 2009.

On September 15th, 2009 - Bishop John Wester of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Bishop Prince Singh of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the Desert SW Conference of the United Methodist Church, and Dale Schwartz of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and other leaders came to the US Capitol to pray for comprehensive immigration reform, and for Congress to resist the hateful rhetoric of the anti-immigrant movement.  A similar call was made later by the National Association of Evangelicals and reflects the official positions of every major religious denomination in America.  Throughout 2009, hundreds of events on immigration reform have been organized by religious communities across the nation.

Then, on October 6th, the Center for Immigration Studies' biblical "expert," Robert Edwards, released a report essentially claiming that nearly all major religious leaders in America are misreading the bible.

CIS or the Pope?  CIS or the top cops in America?  When it comes time for a real debate on immigration reform, we don't think Congress will have to think twice about the choice.

Cross-Posted at the America's Voice and the Daily Kos.

 

Comments

[Norski]

To see the main argument for enforcing immigration laws one need look no further than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Reports. The report released November 6, 2009 says:

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations – Unemployment Rate = 13.3%
Construction and extraction occupations – Unemployment Rate = 19.1%
Production occupations – Unemployment Rate = 14.5%
Transportation, material moving occupations – Unemployment Rate = 11.6%
Service occupations – Unemployment Rate = 10.0%

Total Unemployed US Citizens and Legal Residents = 15,700,000
Persons who want a job but not included in the Total Unemployed because they have not looked for a job in the last month = 5,995,000

Total Number of Americans Looking For Work = 21,695,000
Estimated number of Illegal Immigrants working in the USA = 7,500,000

Management, professional, and related occupations – Unemployment Rate = 4.7%

Even when unemployment was at the lowest this decade in 2007, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Report reports following data:

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations – Unemployment Rate = 8.5%
Construction and extraction occupations – Unemployment Rate = 7.6%
Production occupations – Unemployment Rate = 5.7%
Transportation, material moving occupations – Unemployment Rate = 6.0%
Service occupations – Unemployment Rate = 5.9%

Americans Looking For Work = 11,781,000

Management, professional, and related occupations – Unemployment Rate = 2.1%

During 2007 only Management, professional, and related occupations reached full employment. Occupations attracting Illegal Immigrants suffered unemployment rates at recession levels.

[Xarnego]

Then why do American Agribusiness and small farmers across this land oppose you so?

The unemployed should be knocking down their doors to do the backbreaking work america needs...Except they are not...

All those statistics are cherry picked and present an incomplete and manipulative corruption of the economic situation in this country.

In fact, CIS, unFAIR and NumbUSA's ha_te filled movement have helped to sink farmers and agribusiness all over the country.

The mindless opposition to comprehensive immigration reform by various ha_te groups masquerading as "think" tanks is understandable, as they are one trick ponies, and serve to distract people from the real problems in their daily lives, however, the GOP's pandering to this paraniod schitzophrenic fringe (birthers and proto-birthers) will make the GOOP's electoral disasters of 2006 and 2008 look mild by comparison. California in 1994 was a pretty good indicator of where that mindet leads. The GOP there is dying off and within 2 election cycles of losing their bulwark in the central valley and with it, any relevance to that state's politics.

[Norski]

Apparently you are unaware of the history of the United Farm Workers in California. The Union was rendered virtually toothless when it tried to raise farm wages to a living wage level. The Growers in California became experts at pitting Illegal Immigrant labor against those who tried to strike for better wages and making it look like those who opposed the illegal immigration were just a bunch of racists. It got so bad that in 1979, Cesar Chavez testified to Congress: … when the farm workers strike and their strike is successful, the employers go to Mexico and have unlimited, unrestricted use of illegal alien strikebreakers to break the strike. And, for over 30 years, the Immigration and Naturalization Service has looked the other way and assisted in the strikebreaking. I do not remember one single instance in 30 years where the Immigration service has removed strikebreakers. … The employers use professional smugglers to recruit and transport human contraband across the Mexican border for the specific act of strikebreaking…”

Too many times I have run into people who say those who oppose Illegal Immigration are racist. But upon further discussion I find out that rather than fighting racism, all they really want is to keep the flow of Illegal Workers coming so that they can continue wage exploitation forever.

Oh, and by the way, this is the first time I have every heard the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics called "incomplete and manipulative".

[Xarnego]

I see the main argument for the draconian policies favored by the CIS,Numbers USA, and the strangely named FAIR is defined by conspiracy theories.

It seems according to these people that anyone who wants sensible immigration reform has fallen into some kind of a trap. A trap that only adherence to a radical nativist fringe position can rectify.

Like most of the Tea Bag movement, and the Culture Wars theories they are based on, the anti-immigrant fringe is a movement without a future. They are yesterday's children of the little mind blindly following the know nothing agenda that GOP congressmen wheo were voted out of office in 2006 laid out for them (Tom Tancretino ring a bell?)

[Norski]

Mr. Luna falls into the trap that those who support a path to legalization for Illegal Immigrants seem unable to avoid. They buy into the fallacy that groups like CIS lead the way for those opposed to Illegal Immigration. In fact, common sense is the defining principle behind most opposition.

Those with common sense can easily see that many Police Chiefs are against 287(g) because it means extra work for them. And who wants to do extra work? Many Citizens have reached that conclusion because many Police Chiefs have said just that. But beyond that has anyone actually stopped to think how ludicrous it sounds to say Police do not want to arrest people for committing crimes because that means they will be able to arrest more people for committing crimes?

And the Church Leader angle is even more of a trap. Some people see religious activists, whether conservative or liberal, and think that is the Church. But in fact, the Church is really made up of millions of people who know that the Bible says those who use the Word of God in order to gain worldly rewards are singled out for special condemnation. And this same silent majority knows that for every exhortation of Love they Neighbor, the Bible has several exhortations about living responsibly. They question whether those who break the law can live responsibly. And they know that welcoming the law abiding Stranger is not the same as welcoming the law-breaking Illegal Immigrant.

[Racso]

a recent poll by the New York times CNN and also a also NBC Wall Street Journal did show americans support Immigration Reform by 78 %,,,,,so why listen to the birthers who dont want it?

[Steve W]

Here's what the survey really said.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/22/cnn-poll-3-out-of-4-want-illegal-immigration-decreased/

[Xarnego]

The birther fringe managed to derail reform in 2006 and will continue to foment anti-immigrant propaganda any time the issue is brought up.

They have willing co-conspirators in Faux News and Lou Dobbs and will use these to plant 500 fake stories in the press, each one more outlandish than the last, with the hope that one of these newsy items gains traction so they can get their "experts" invited to pontificate their "racialist" agenda on cable TV...

[TonyMbutu]

Why do we care what "religious leaders" have to say about it? Really. This is a civil matter and the faith heads should just butt the hell out.

[Steve W]

Your claim that law enforcement is against 287g gives the wrong impression. in fact, many cities are in favor of and want to implement 287g. If the impression that you are trying to give is that people in this country are in favor of illegal immigration then you are wrong. A recent CNN poll shows that 75% of all Americans are against illegal immigration. Just because millions of people have violated our immigration laws does not mean that the law is broken. It just means that it hasn't been enforced. And it's no secret that Comprehensive Immigration Reform means amnesty to the 12 million people who are here illegally. So if you are going to write about your idea of immigration reform then say what you mean. Use the terms open borders and amnesty instead of broken laws and comprehensive immigration reform.

[Pablo Manriquez - Huffpost Blogger]

That that they won't think twice about the choice assumes that Congress will at least think once on it. Thus we may assume capabilities above & beyond our national politicos'.