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Immigration Reform Advocates Becoming More Diverse and Savvy

Posted November 27, 2009 by Patrick Young, Esq.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that the movement for comprehensive immigration reform is becoming more diverse. Traditionally strong among Latinos and Catholic and mainline Protestant church groups, the movement has expanded to include organized labor, traditional civil rights organizations like the NAACP, and Carribean and Asian community organizations. The AP also reports that business, evangelical churches, and law enforcement have joined the call for earned legalization.
The AP also says that two new pro-immigrant political action committees (PACs) are out-fundraising three established anti-immigrant PACs.
Immigrants’ List and ImmigrationPAC have raised amounts in the low six figures, but that is “still more than established groups that back enforcement-only policies, who have seen donations slow to a trickle”, says AP.
According to the Associated Press:
“Even a small amount of pro-immigration reform PAC money, pro-immigration muscle, makes it a two-sided debate,” said Tamar Jacoby, who heads ImmigrationWorks USA, a federation of mostly small and medium businesses that support a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants and streamlining the employment visa process.
The power of PACS goes far beyond their direct contributions to candidates. They also wield power by bundling smaller donations from individuals nationwide and directing those funds to politicians sympathetic to their causes.
The PACS — formed by immigration lawyers and other immigrant advocates — are among pro-immigrant groups seeing donations on the rise. Large foundations are donating millions to nonprofits that work with immigrants, although that money can’t be used for campaigns.
Allen Brandstater, head of the PAC Americans Against Illegal Immigration, acknowledged the changing mood. His group, which raised $850,000 during the 2008 election cycle for mostly issue ads and mailers, the most of any of the immigration PACs, is “pretty much dormant right now,” he said. Brandstater blamed the lack of support on the weak economy and on President Barack Obama and the Democratic-led Congress, which he believes are more likely to back legalization.
Brandstater also lamented that some donors have grown wary about associating themselves with his organization because of what he said was negative publicity in 2008. “In the last election, you were called racist if you wanted to protect the sovereignty of our borders,” he said.
...Jacoby said she is seeing growing cash support from businesses. And major donors such as the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and liberal financier George Soros’ Open Society Institute have also allocated more to immigrant advocates and their allies.
Maria Teresa Rojas, who manages the Open Society Institute’s immigration portfolio, said her foundation alone has allocated an extra $15 million to be spent over the next three years “to take advantage of what looks to be a historic opportunity to reform our immigration system.” She cited the combination of a Democratic president and Congress.
...Amy Novick, who heads Immigrants’ List, said she is preparing for a long fight. Most of the initial donors to the committee were immigration lawyers. Now the group is looking to take a page out of the Obama campaign playbook, tapping into small, online contributors.
“There are tens of thousands of people in the U.S., citizens and residents, who have been touched by the immigration system,” Novick said. “Their spouses, siblings, children may be here legally but may be stuck in the backlog and need relief.”
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