Hate group Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR) spearheads campaign to overturn state鈥檚 sanctuary policy
Since May 2017, Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR), an anti-immigrant hate group based in McMinnville, Oregon, has engaged in an effort to get a referendum on November鈥檚 ballot challenging Oregon鈥檚 decades-old sanctuary state law.听
Long a priority for the organized anti-immigrant movement, Donald Trump鈥檚 presidency has provided the power and momentum to attack听鈥�sanctuary cities鈥� and states, communities that have generally declined to task local law enforcement with enforcing federal immigration laws. Under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit against the state of California over its sanctuary law. The main legal arm of the anti-immigrant movement, the听Immigration Reform Law Institute听(IRLI) is also pursuing suits against sanctuary cities while local anti-immigrant groups such as OFIR are also trying to overturn sanctuary polices via referendum.听听
A repeal of the sanctuary law worries immigrant rights activists.听鈥淚P 22 would take us back to a time when racial profiling was rampant in Oregon. 听When federal immigration agents would pressure local law enforcement into breaking down doors and dragging parents and their kids out of their homes,鈥� Ramon Ramirez of听, the largest Latino organization in Oregon, told Hatewatch.听听
OFIR is looking to repeat its 2014 success when it led a campaign to overturn a law granting drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. That effort succeeded with听financial support from a white nationalist organization and logistical support from a national anti-immigrant hate group.听听
A success in 2014 serves as a blueprint for 2018
At a May Day rally in 2013, Oregon鈥檚 governor听John Kitzhaber听听into law a bill that granted driver鈥檚 licenses to undocumented Oregon residents. In response, OFIR filed to get the bill overturned via referendum and ran a successful signature drive, collecting more than the 58,000 signatures. Oregon voters ultimately decided to overturn the law by a 2 to 1 margin in the 2014 elections. OFIR wouldn鈥檛 have been successful without the support and intervention of a wide anti-immigration network.
OFIR鈥檚 501(c)(4) arm and another PAC it听听establish, Protect Oregon Driver Licenses Committee (PODL), spearheaded the campaign. PODL听听$3,500 in funding from another anti-immigrant hate group, the听Federation for American Immigration Reform听(FAIR). FAIR was founded by white nationalist听John Tanton听and received crucial funding from the eugenics-promoting听Pioneer Fund听in its early years.听According to a FAIR newsletter published in 2014, FAIR听听that its field, state legislative and media teams would assist 鈥淸S]tate immigration reform activists in their efforts to educate Oregon voters about the issues and the dangers of granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens.鈥�
OFIR also听听from Paul Nachman, a Montana-based extremist who regularly writes for听VDARE, an overtly racist blog that serves as a hub for white nationalists and antisemites. In recent posts for VDARE, Nachman听听the existence of 鈥渕oderate Muslims,鈥澨齬efugees 鈥済ood liars,鈥漚nd repeatedly cited and praised the late and highly influential white nationalist writer听Lawrence Auster.听
Nativist elected officials were also heavily involved in the campaign. Kim Thatcher, a state lawmaker was one of the 鈥溾�� for the referendum鈥檚 petition drive. In 2007, Thatcher听听State Legislators for Legal Immigration听(SLLI), a coalition of nativist state legislators, who, with the aid of FAIR and IRLI introduced anti-immigrant legislation at the state level including copycat versions of Arizona鈥檚 SB 1070. That legislation was introduced by another SLLI member,听Russell Pearce.听听Pearce has repeatedly referred to undocumented immigrants as 鈥渋nvaders,鈥� and made headlines in 2006 for听circulatingan article written by the neo-Nazi group the National Alliance that contained racist and antisemitic material.听
A year before joining SLLI, Thatcher spoke at an OFIR event in Salem where she told the crowd, "Oregon has given cover to too many people wreaking havoc on our society." Another 鈥渃hief petitioner鈥澨齋al Esquivel, a longtime legislator who spoke at a National Immigration Policy Summit in Phoenix in 2010. The event featured a number of anti-immigrant groups including听NumbersUSA听and FAIR. In 2014, Esquivel听听FAIR on its annual border summit in El Paso, Texas.听
OFIR enlisted the help of Fred Elbel, of another anti-immigrant hate group Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (CAIR-CO), to design 鈥淧rotect Oregon Driver Licenses鈥� website.听
The repeal of driver鈥檚 licenses for undocumented immigrants has had a long-lasting impact say activists听鈥淩epealing the driver鈥檚 cards caused great harm for immigrant families in Oregon, preventing some people from being able to drive to work and support their families,鈥� said Andrea Williams of the Oregon-based immigrant rights group Causa.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to remember these families come here seeking a better life just听like European immigrants from the 1900s, who had far more opportunities to legally emigrate to this country.听We need to work together to create a reasonable process that is fair, efficient and allows undocumented immigrants to meet eligibility criteria for authorized status.鈥�
The latest campaign
OFIR is looking to the same network in its latest campaign.听
On May 1, 2017, OFIR听听its 鈥淪top Oregon Sanctuary Cities鈥� plan on its website. The group needs to gather 88,184 signatures by July 2018 to qualify for the ballot in November.
Elbel designed the 鈥淪top Oregon Sanctuary Cities鈥� website, while a committee similar to PODL was created called听Repeal Oregon Sanctuary Law (ROSL).听U.S. Inc., donated a further $3,000 to the effort, prompting听The Oregonian听to听听in August听2017 about the white nationalist group. OFIR鈥檚 leader, Cynthia Kendoll, declined to be interviewed for the story. To date, FAIR has donated over $60,000 to the campaign, with the most听听$30,000 coming in February. IRLI听听$5,000 to the campaign in October of 2017.
OFIR held a meeting in Salem on February 17 where its leadership discussed the campaign and material from hate groups was on display at the gathering. Copies of听The Social Contract听as well as two other booklets on immigration published by the white nationalist听Social Contract Press听were made available, along with material published by FAIR. OFIR leadership told attendees to target gun shows and DMV offices in order to recruit signatories.听
The day before the meeting, Steel Roots News听听that signature gatherers working for Ballot Access, LLC were lying to residents about what the referendum would do. According to the report, a college student recorded a signature gatherer depicting the referendum as an effort to protect Oregon鈥檚 sanctuary law. Additional complaints have been filed and the Secretary of State鈥檚 office has opened an investigation. The听听of Ballot Access, LLC is Lee Vasche, who serves as听听of OFIR鈥檚 PAC. Vasche spoke at the OFIR meeting on February 17, but did not mention the allegations leveled against his company during his speech.听
As听previously documented听by Hatewatch, OFIR and its leadership have maintained strong ties to anti-immigrant hate groups and white nationalists. The group is also clearly willing to accept financial and other support from these groups and figures to advance its campaign
鈥淥FIR鈥檚 bigotry doesn鈥檛 represent Oregon,鈥� David Rogers, of the ACLU of Oregon told Hatewatch.
鈥淚f not for the support OFIR receives from a range of national hate-groups, they would have much more limited ability to push their anti-immigrant agenda in the state. These out-of-state funders are more than happy to use Oregon as a testing ground for their divisive and harmful experiments.鈥�
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