Pro-Immigration and Anti-Immigration Groups in the United States
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 While the majority of Americans are sympathetic to
immigrants in general, some are worried about the increasing number of immigrants
crossing the borders illegally. Many immigrants who have endured the experience of crossing the border
and/or have relatives can relate to illegal immigrants. Some have become
U.S.
citizens or permanent residents while there are those who currently remain in
the country illegally. For many illegal immigrants just obtaining a Green Card
would be sufficient. The illegal immigrants regardless of ethnicity -
Mexican,
Chinese, Irish, Filipino, Central Americans and others - come in search of a
better life. Their countries offer limited opportunities, so illegal immigrants
risk what they have which may be little or other times substantial. Illegal
immigrants have the support of some while lacking the support of others. Some
pro-immigration groups include: We Are America Alliance, Border Angels, American
Immigration Lawyers Association, and New American Opportunity Campaign. We Are
America Alliance is an organization that consists of community, labor and
religious organizations. By forming this alliance their efforts can be
significantly greater than one organization alone. We Are America Alliance hope
to persuade Congress into granting amnesty to the estimated 12 million illegal
immigrants that reside in the United States. In addition, they are working on
persuading Congress members to increase the number of family visas granted
annually along with other reforms that improve the lives of illegal immigrants.
Border Angels is a group of volunteers that have set up water stations near the
Arizona border to prevent dehydration of illegal immigrants crossing the border.
The stations are not set up to encourage illegal immigrants to cross the border.
Since the United States built a steel fence along the U.S.-Mexico border in 1994
this has made it more difficult for illegal immigrants to cross the border near
California. As a result many illegal immigrants have instead opted to take the
more difficult voyage through the Arizona desert. Thousand of lives of illegal
immigrants (nearly 3,000) have been lost due to dehydration since the erection
of the fence or Operation Gatekeeper as it is known. Along with setting up water
stations the Border Angels have also included snacks, sweaters, and blankets.
The locations of the stations are changed periodically so as to not encourage
dependency on them. The Border Angels volunteers also replenish the supplies
from time to time. Another pro-immigration group, the American Immigration
Lawyers, has been working on immigration reforms which are similar to those
proposed by Bush. President Bush has proposed that more immigration-friendly
legislation be introduced such as a temporary guest worker program or granting
illegal immigrants the opportunity to gain legal status if they meet certain
requirements. He believes that immigrants have helped shape American into what
it is today. The next step for many of the pro-immigration groups is to
encourage those who are able to vote in the U.S. to register and vote. The
pro-immigration groups believe that by heading to the polls citizens can have a
greater influence. The groups are also encouraging permanent residents who
qualify to apply for citizenship to do so.
Anti-immigration groups are also located throughout the United States. An
example is the Grassfire-dot-org who has put up billboards that express their
anti-immigration stance. The billboards found along the highways state “Stop the
invasion: save our border.” The billboards can currently be found in West
Virginia, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, and California. A Michigan activist
by the name of John H. Tanton claims to have organized the anti-immigration
movement by founding and/or funding some groups. The network consists of 13
anti-immigration groups which include the American Immigration Control
Foundation, California Coalition for Immigration Reform, Federation for American
Immigration Reform, Pro English and Project USA among others. Some believe that
the membership numbers of the network are exaggerated. Currently some of the
most active anti-immigration groups are the Minuteman. There are two
organizations that are often confused because they both have Minuteman in their
name. One of the groups is the Minuteman Project Incorporated and the other is
the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Both groups have made headlines for
organizing their own volunteer force to temporarily patrol sections of the
U.S.-Mexico border. While the Minutemen volunteer patrols have not been
significantly large, the Minutemen have managed to catch the attention of the
media. The Minutemen like to refer to themselves as the “local neighborhood
watch” of the border. The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps has planned on erecting
a 10 mile fence in Arizona to deter illegal immigrants, livestock, drug
traffickers, and other criminals from crossing the U.S. - Mexico border. Through
private donations and volunteers, the Minute Civil Defense Corps has been able
to build 2.5 miles of the planned 10 mile fence.
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