Ultra Right-Wing Immigration hardliners gain key Trump posts in USCIS shake-up

[Gaali_Gottam_Govinda]

 

A group of immigration hardliners, including some who worked at an organization that has been described as a hate group by an advocacy watchdog that monitors extremism, have gained powerful posts in the federal agency in charge of administering benefits for immigrants, asylum-seekers and refugees. 

The appointments at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) follow the recent promotion of its former acting director, Ken Cuccinelli, to the second-highest position at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Cuccinelli has been a vocal proponent of measures to restrict both legal and unauthorized immigration.

Both Zadrozny and Law have worked for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), whose stated mission is to "reduce overall immigration to a more normal level," and which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an organization that advocates for progressive issues and monitors the activities of groups it considers extremist.

Heidi Beirich, who heads the SPLC's Intelligence Project, called the promotions of Law and Zadrozny "distressing," saying anti-immigration groups like FAIR are "funneling" their staff to top immigration posts within the Trump administration.

"These groups, which were basically outside of the mainstream, have been embraced by the Trump administration and their ideas are now policy, which is affecting millions and millions of people of color," Beirich told CBS News. 

The SPLC on its website cites past racist remarks by individuals affiliated with FAIR, as well as their "ties to white supremacist groups and eugenicists," as the reason for the designation.

John Tanton, a Michigan ophthalmologist and anti-immigration activist, founded FAIR in 1979. He once warned of a "Latin onslaught" in the United States. "As Whites see their power and control over their lives declining, will they simply go quietly into the night? Or will there be an explosion?" he wrote in a 1986 memorandum. 

 

Dan Stein, the current president of FAIR, said the SPLC has "no credibility," adding that his group has "never had any issue with immigration per se."

"All we've ever said is that it should be lawful and that the numbers need to be properly regulated," Stein told CBS News. "This is a political issue, it's a charged issue, it's controversial. There's no question about it. But the cause of civil discourse is not being advanced by the shoddy, discredited tactics of the Southern Poverty Law Center."

Asked about the promotions of FAIR alumni in the Trump administration, Stein said, "It certainly is delightful to see folks that we've worked with in the past advance and contribute to the various efforts of the administration, most of which we support."

USCIS did not respond to multiple requests to comment on the promotions of Zadrozny and Law. Past affiliations with FAIR are not noted in the biographies of Zadrozny and Law on the agency's website.

 

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