In the country often referred to as a ‘nation of immigrants,? the issue of immigration has long been a controversial one. With the September 11 terrorist attacks, more citizens are taking notice.
Dan Stein, the president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, visited the Deer Lake Athletic Club Sept. 22. At a meeting hosted by the North Oakland Republican Club, Stein spoke to approximately 60 people about what he believes to be the important issues swirling around immigration.
‘We have a system of illegal immigration that is tolerated on Wall Street and by both major political parties,? said Stein.
Throughout the presentation, Stein explained FAIR’s reasoning behind wanting to improve border security, stopping illegal immigration and returning immigration rates to lower manageable levels.
Stein highlighted the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States as nationalizing the issue and creating a grassroots movement and activism. He also said the London bombings, which appear to have involved terrorists born in England, underscored the importance of controlling immigration in this country.
‘With immigration, we’ve lost our capacity to expect immigrants to be absorbed easily in this country,? said Stein.
Pointing out amnesty legislation by President Reagan in the 1980’s, Stein said the United States has for too long sent a message the country is not serious about stopping immigration.
Stein said current immigration policy is ‘running contrary to every aspect of what we’re trying to achieve as a nation,? ranging from education and traffic reduction to securing borders.
‘If you create the loopholes? These sophisticated international operations will learn about them and work to exploit them,? warned Stein.
Pointing a finger at the current nature of the political system, Stein said average Americans want something done about immigration, but are butting up against and losing to finely tuned, well-financed lobbyists who benefit from lax immigration policy.
As for Michigan, Stein said the state is losing out on Congressional representation due to other states with higher immigration rates using illegal aliens to gain political clout and representation.
After speaking, Stein took several questions from the audience. Everyone attending was offered a copy of FAIR’s recently released Fourth Annual Special Report titled ‘Code Orange: Diminishing the Terrorist Threat to America,? which lays out the organization’s concerns and suggested solutions on immigration.
According to their Web site, FAIR has over 198,000 members and supporters nationwide and is a national, nonprofit, public-interest membership organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that the nation’s immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest.
Stein joined FAIR in 1982 after serving as executive director of the Immigration Reform Law Institute. As stated on FAIR’s Web site, he testified before Congress on more than 50 occasions and appeared on many well-known radio and talk shows.
The NORC’s Web site is www.norc-us.org and FAIR can be reached at www.fairus.org or 202-328-7004.
Also present at the meeting was a newly launched group called Michigan Citizens for Immigration Reform who can be contacted at mcfir805@comcast.net.