Anti-Immigrant Center for Immigration Studies Continues to Associate With White Nationalists
The Syrian refugee crisis in Europe, coupled with an announcement in mid-September from President Obama that 10,000 Syrians would be relocated聽to the U.S.,聽has聽enraged聽the radical right, most notably anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups.聽
Once such group, the聽聽(CIS), the nativist movement鈥檚 鈥渢hink tank,"聽has been particularly animated about the influx of聽refugees and has responded聽the only way it knows how: racist rhetoric.聽
Each week, CIS circulates a digest of immigration articles to its supporters. It鈥檚 usually a hodgepodge of anti-immigrant articles. But in the recent聽weeks, CIS has started circulating articles from known white nationalists, all focusing on the Syrian refugee issue.
The September 20th 鈥淚mmigration Opinions鈥� digest featured an article penned by English white nationalist Paul Weston. to the UK-based anti-fascist group HOPE not hate, Weston formerly served as the leader of the (BFP), the political wing of the explicitly racist and xenophobic (EDL). Weston鈥檚 article originally appeared on the website of the far-right UK political party, .
The piece, titled, 鈥淚mmigration, Altruism and National Suicide,鈥� calls for a ban on all Muslim immigration to Europe. 鈥淣o sane person could read the media headlines over the last few years which describe with monotonous regularity the violence, murder, rape and mayhem carried out by Muslims in Europe, along with the wars and carnage carried out by Muslims around the world,鈥� Weston wrote.
The Sept. 11 edition of 鈥淚mmigration Opinions鈥� also featured articles from white nationalists Robert Weissberg and Pat Buchanan. Weissberg is a longtime supporter of Jared Taylor, and has called him a 鈥渃lose friend.鈥� The former University of Illinois professor has referred to African-Americans as 鈥渢he stupid black,鈥� and has addressed Taylor鈥檚 American Renaissance gatherings on numerous occasions.
Weissberg鈥檚 article, 鈥淓urope鈥檚 Immigrant Problem,鈥� appeared聽on the racist website American Thinker and also attacked refugees. 鈥淎nd many of the refugees are young men with a penchant for violence,鈥� Weissberg warned. Then there鈥檚 Pat Buchanan鈥檚 piece, 鈥淚slam鈥檚 Conquest of Europe,鈥� which also focused on refugee issue. Like Weston, Buchanan鈥檚 article originally posted on Townhall.com, described the relocation of Syrian refugees to the United States as 鈥渘ational suicide.鈥�
Since its founding in 1985, CIS has been explicitly tied to white nationalism. Its founder, white nationalist John Tanton was responsible for establishing the organized anti-immigrant movement,聽and,聽over the past 20 years, the group has been unable to cut these racist ties.聽
CIS staffers have continually used racist language when referring to immigrants, including calling them, 鈥淭hird-World gold-diggers,鈥� and blaming immigrants for 鈥渢he burgeoning street gang problem鈥� in the United States.
CIS鈥檚 tagline is 鈥渓ow-immigration, pro-immigrant,鈥� but as the past few weeks have demonstrated, the group and its founder Mark Krikorian seem to be just as comfortable throwing white nationalism into the mix, too.聽
