Anti-Immigrant

Anti-immigrant hate groups are the most extreme of the hundreds of nativist and vigilante groups that have proliferated since the late 1990s, when anti-immigrant xenophobia began to rise to levels not seen in the U.S. since the 1920s.

TOP TAKEAWAYS

The number of anti-immigrant groups grew by 1 to 18 groups in 2023. This number, however, was reached by various groups dropping or re-emerging based on activity. 2023 saw activity from dormant groups including Floridians for Immigration Enforcement and Help Save Maryland. American Border Patrol was removed due to inactivity following the death of its founder and leader,鈥疓lenn Spencer. Border Network News, once listed as antigovernment extremist, was re-categorized to anti-immigrant hate after a review of the group鈥檚 activities and rhetoric.

The anti-immigrant movement spent much of the year directing its ire toward鈥痶he Biden administration, particularly Department of Homeland Security Secretary鈥疉lejandro Mayorkas.鈥疉nti-immigrant groups and hard-liners in Congress joined together in calling for Mayorkas to be impeached, alleging the鈥痵outhern border to be鈥€撯€痓y his and President Biden鈥檚 design鈥€撯€痗haotic and unsecured.鈥疉nti-immigrant鈥痝roups based their鈥痳hetorical鈥痑ttacks鈥痩argely鈥痮n鈥痶he 鈥済reat replacement鈥�鈥痗onspiracy theory,鈥痯opular among both anti-immigrant鈥痑nd white supremacist groups, which falsely claims immigrants are鈥痑 threat to white American culture.鈥疶he hate group鈥�Federation for American Immigration Reform鈥�(FAIR) wrote on its website鈥痶hat鈥痠t 鈥渨ill work closely with the Homeland Security Committee to uncover the facts and help document the evidence in support of impeachment.鈥�

KEY MOMENTS

Once largely relegated to the fringe and used鈥痬ostly鈥痓y white nationalist and anti-immigrant groups, 鈥渋nvasion鈥� rhetoric is now showing up in official鈥痗ongressional hearings.鈥疢ayorkas鈥欌€痯osition and immigration at the Southern border were used as鈥痵capegoats in鈥痮ther anti-immigrant narratives. Members of Congress and anti-immigrant groups also found鈥痵ynergy鈥痯ushing the xenophobic, white nationalist-style idea of there being a migrant 鈥渋nvasion鈥� happening at the鈥痵outhern border.鈥疉nti-immigrant groups鈥痗laim this invasion is being orchestrated by the Biden administration鈥疉ccording to鈥€痓y the immigrant rights group America鈥檚 Voice, by late July, 34 members of Congress deployed such rhetoric at least 90 times during Republican-led hearings on immigration-related matters.鈥疶his rhetoric invokes ideas of migrants, many of whom are people of color, being an invading force at the鈥痵outhern border. It plays into larger great replacement鈥痶heory-style conspiracy theories of immigrants replacing white Americans and threatening the dominant culture.

The Biden administration again became the target of anger among anti-immigrant groups when, in May 2023, it rolled back the President Trump-era Title 42 policy, which was put in place to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.鈥疉s migrants arrived at the border鈥痑round May 11, 2023, when鈥疶itle 42鈥痮fficially鈥痚xpired, the hate group Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform鈥痳emarked, 鈥淭his is what the Great Replacement looks like.鈥�

FAIR continued鈥痠ts efforts to court law enforcement officials who are sympathetic to xenophobic causes. In April 2023, FAIR published a piece calling to support local sheriffs who are willing to implement anti-immigrant policies like 287(g) agreements. 鈥淔AIR works closely with these law enforcement heroes who see firsthand the adverse impact of open borders,鈥� the group wrote. 鈥淲e support them, and there are good reasons you should too.鈥� In November 2023, FAIR hosted a press event in Washington, D.C., on 鈥淏order Security and Immigration Reform鈥� that featured Sheriffs Thad Cleveland of Terrell County, Texas, and Sam Page of Rockingham County, North Carolina. In September, FAIR organized a two-day 鈥渂order school鈥� in McAllen, Texas, for sheriffs and lawmakers. The event was鈥痳eportedly attended鈥痓y a member of the antigovernment extremist group鈥疶exas Border Volunteers.

Todd Bensman, a senior fellow at the hate group鈥�Center for Immigration Studies, further demonstrated the overlap between anti-immigrant and anti-人兽性交+ hate groups, appearing on鈥�Washington Watch with Tony Perkins鈥痮f the Family Research Council. Family Research Council published several articles throughout 2023 in its online publication,鈥�Washington Stand, that characterized the鈥疭outhern border of the United States as unsecured or mimicked invasion-style rhetoric.

Bensman was oft-booked throughout 2023 on conservative-leaning media to talk about the border. He appeared on a鈥疧ct. 12, 2023,鈥痚pisode鈥痮f former Fox News host Tucker Carlson鈥檚 X (formerly Twitter) show. During the show,鈥�Carlson,鈥痺ho is known for peddling great replacement-style rhetoric, said to Bensman,鈥€淲hen you visit Texas now, it鈥檚鈥痸ery obvious鈥痶hat the state has changed and for the much worse, literally everywhere. It鈥檚 chaotic. The political balance is changing because the demographic balance is changing. Do people in Texas see this鈥痠s鈥痑n emergency? Do you think, and if so, why is nobody doing anything about it?鈥濃€疊ensman responded, "Yes, I do believe that鈥� and added that 鈥渦nfunded masses of people are suddenly showing up鈥� in cities all over the country.鈥�

Carlson concluded the segment,鈥€淲ell, if there was ever reason to have a citizens militia, I鈥檇 say this is it.鈥濃€疶he clip was shared on the Center for Immigration Studies website.

Republican hard-liner governors鈥痠ncluding鈥疶exas鈥欌€疓reg Abbott鈥痗ontinued to send buses and fly migrants to liberal-leaning cities across the U.S.鈥痠n hopes of driving a wedge between communities.鈥疶his helped fuel xenophobic protests in鈥痵uch鈥痗ities鈥痑s鈥疌hicago, where migrants鈥痑rriving鈥痟ave been met with mixed鈥痑ttitudes.鈥疧ne Chicago鈥痑lderman was the victim of a鈥痳eportedly violent鈥痑ttack over a proposed migrant shelter.鈥疘n September 2023, the neo-Nazi group Nationalist Socialist鈥疦SC-131 held an anti-immigrant protest鈥痮utside of a hotel in Marlborough,鈥疢assachusetts, where migrants were being housed. Members of the group carried flares and a banner that read: 鈥淚NVADERS: GO HOME.鈥�

WHAT鈥橲 AHEAD

The anti-immigrant groups are likely to continue鈥痶o butt heads with the Biden administration over its immigration policies.鈥疿enophobic protests, like the ones witnessed in 2023 by neo-Nazi groups and other opportunists, have the鈥痯otential to continue into 2024.鈥疻ith 2024 being an election year, anti-immigrant rhetoric is likely to鈥痓e鈥痜eatured鈥痠n campaigns and鈥痗andidate鈥痵tump speeches. Additionally,鈥痗onspiracy theories about undocumented immigrants voting are sure to ramp up.

A coalition of hard-right,鈥痻enophobia鈥痑nd anti-人兽性交+鈥痜igures and organizations billing itself Project 2025 put together a document titled鈥�Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, which puts forth a series of policy recommendations for whoever wins the White House in 2024. Contributors include staffers from the anti-immigrant groups FAIR, Center for Immigration Studies and Immigration Reform Law Institute. The document puts forth various draconian anti-immigrant policies.

In October 2023, anti-人兽性交+, anti-immigrant and white nationalist groups all rejoiced over the election of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., as Speaker of the House. Johnson brings with him past connections to hate groups and views on immigration and 人兽性交+鈥痳ights鈥痶hat鈥痑lign鈥痺ith groups the 人兽性交 tracks, giving them hope about having an ally in one of the most powerful鈥痯ositions in the country鈥痠n 2024.

BACKGROUND

The organized anti-immigrant movement in the U.S. has long supported draconian immigration-enforcement measures and has worked to stall legislative relief for immigrants and their families and to spread bigoted messages.

This movement鈥檚 chief architect was鈥�John Tanton,鈥痑 Michigan-based ophthalmologist, white nationalist and eugenics鈥痑dvocate whose tenacity set in motion a network of groups devoted to pushing nativist policies and ideas. Memos donated by Tanton to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan evidence that his anti-immigrant sentiment was steeped in racism, eugenics and fears of the United States losing its white hegemony.

Although Tanton鈥痙ied鈥痠n 2019, his legacy lives on through a constellation of groups devoted to his vision. Many of these groups bill themselves as fact-based think tanks engaged in policy research and lobbying; however, their main goal is to spread propaganda targeting immigrants. While not every group designated by the 人兽性交 as an anti-immigrant hate group is part of the Tanton network, they generally push the same nativist and dehumanizing rhetoric. This includes slandering immigrants as inherently criminal, as invaders and/or as threats to the dominant culture.

The flagship group founded by Tanton in 1979 is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Dan Stein, a close confidant of Tanton, remains FAIR鈥檚 president, stewarding its same anti-immigrant agenda into the future. In 1985, Tanton founded the鈥疌enter for Immigration Studies鈥�(CIS), which has become a go-to think tank for anti-immigrant groups and nativist-leaning politicians. CIS has a decades-long history of circulating racist writers, while also associating with white nationalists. Tanton also helped found or fund 13 nativist organizations; however, not all are designated as hate groups.

One of the main drivers among anti-immigrant hate groups is vastly limiting or halting immigration to the United States altogether. FAIR claimed in a 2016 video that 鈥渕ass immigration is too dangerous for America.鈥�

Anti-immigrant groups like鈥疐AIR and others are active in Congress, lobbying for nativist legislation and leveraging their partnerships with sympathetic members of Congress to derail relief for immigrants living in the U.S. One extreme measure lobbied for by FAIR is鈥痳epealing鈥痓irthright鈥痗itizenship guaranteed under the 14th鈥疉mendment of the U.S. Constitution.鈥�笔谤辞贰苍驳濒颈蝉丑鈥� is committed to pushing legislation making English the official language of the United States and demonizing inclusive efforts to translate government documents to different languages. Americans for Legal Immigration PAC seeks to fund nativist candidates running for office in the U.S. The House Immigration Reform Caucus, founded in 1999, has been the Congressional arm working to encode much of FAIR鈥檚 agenda. And many of the key leaders in the anti-immigrant movement worked both for outside groups and inside government.

Cordia Strom鈥痺as鈥疐AIR鈥檚鈥痩egal director, represented the Immigration Reform Law Institute and worked for U.S. House Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims.鈥疘n 1996, while working for the subcommittee, Strom helped bring about the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, creating the basis for the current mass deportation and detention system.

Anti-immigrant鈥痟ate鈥痝roups supported the construction of a wall along the U.S.鈥痵outhern border. Dangerous rhetoric depicting migrants arriving at the border as an 鈥渋nvasion鈥� has been deployed by anti-immigrant groups and鈥痟ard-line鈥痬embers of Congress. This rhetoric was supercharged in 2022, though it has been pushed by nativist figures for decades.

In 1994, Tanton and Wayne Lutton, editor of The Social Contract Press, co-wrote the book鈥�The Immigration Invasion. One of the central themes of the book is, 鈥淯ncontrolled immigration is altering the distribution of political power in the United States.鈥�

Both anti-immigrant leaders were deeply connected to the larger far right. Lutton was also on the editorial advisory board of a publication of the white nationalist group鈥疌ouncil of Conservative Citizens (CCC) and鈥�Social Contract Press was responsible for bringing Jean鈥疪aspail鈥檚鈥痳acist novel,鈥�The Camp of the Saints, back into the political fray after two decades out of print. Tanton wrote in a 1999 memo that he hoped the 鈥渞eissuance of this book will measurably advance the [immigration] debate.鈥�

Anti-immigrant groups are also focused on pushing for draconian measures at the state and local levels. This includes supporting policies making it so hard for immigrants and their families to live and work in the U.S. that they leave, a strategy popularized by CIS called 鈥渁ttrition through enforcement.鈥� This includes supporting problematic鈥疎-Verify programs and calling to end so-called 鈥渟anctuary鈥痗ity鈥� policies.

Barbara Coe, founder and leader of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform and a self-described member of the鈥�Council of Conservative Citizens, organized one of the first modern anti-immigrant state initiative campaigns, Proposition 187 in 1994, that became a model strategy for the anti-immigrant movement.

By 2010,鈥痑nti-immigrant politicians like Kris Kobach, who served as鈥痗hairman鈥痮f the鈥疜ansas Republican Party before being elected Kansas鈥痵ecretary of鈥痵tate, had ushered in a series of laws in states and localities, all aimed at restricting immigrant people鈥檚 rights and punishing immigrant communities. Arizona鈥檚 anti-immigrant SB 1070 law in 2010 brought about a series of copycat policies pushed by anti-immigrant groups around the country, notably in Southern states, including Alabama and Georgia.

Groups like FAIR have encouraged counties to enter鈥�287(g) programs, which deputize local law enforcement to serve as federal immigration enforcement officers. This fits into a larger strategy鈥痚mployed by鈥疐AIR and others鈥痶o court law enforcement officers, including鈥痵heriffs,鈥痶o carry out their anti-immigrant agenda.

Nativist hate can also exist outside the policy realm. The鈥痮nce-listed鈥痟ate group鈥疉Z Patriots, like other border vigilante militias, had harassed migrants at the border as well as representatives from institutions seeking to help them. The many spinoffs and鈥痳emnants of the anti-immigrant militia group the Minutemen Project, started by Chris Simcox and Jim Gilchrist, remain today in the form of conspiratorial anti-government groups focused on the鈥疭outhern border. All of this adds to a broader climate of sowing fear and bigotry toward immigrants in America.