FAIR Annual Report 2002
FAIR Annual Report 2002
Introduction
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a national, nonprofit, public interest organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that our nation’s immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest. FAIR believes America can and must have an immigration policy that is non-discriminatory and is designed to serve the social, economic, and environmental needs of our country, an idea that all recent polls show has the overwhelming support of the American public.
Each year, more than one million legal and illegal immigrants settle in the United States. This mass immigration is having severe impacts on the environment, education, health care, infrastructure, employment, taxes, crime, and other quality of life issues. A growing majority of Americans are concerned that mass immigration is not serving the interests of our country and are calling for a new approach to immigration policy, one that would restore immigration to a more traditional and sustainable level of 200,000 to 300,000 a year.
Since it was founded in 1979, FAIR has been leading the call for immigration reform. With more than 70,000 members nationwide, FAIR is a non-partisan group whose membership runs the gamut from liberal to conservative. FAIR’s activities include research, public education, media outreach, grassroots organizing, government relations, litigation, and advocacy at the national, state, and local levels.
Representatives of FAIR are routinely interviewed by major television and radio news and analysis programs and the print media about all aspects of the immigration debate. Academics and government policymakers rely on our research and publications to formulate recommendations for improving immigration policy. We testify regularly before Congress on immigrationrelated legislation.
FAIR’s work is guided by the following principles:
- Illegal immigration can and must be substantially reduced by humane measures that are consistent with our democratic ideals.
- Immigration should not be permitted to undermine wages and working conditions for America’s poor and disadvantaged citizens.
- U.S. immigration laws must be fairly and effectively enforced; there should be no favoritism toward or discrimination against any person because of race, color, or ethnicity.
- Total immigration should fall within a single, stable ceiling which is periodically reviewed based on reasoned, explicit population goals for the United States.
- Three criteria should guide selection of immigrants: accepting our share of refugees, national labor force needs, and cohesion of nuclear families.
- U.S. immigration policies should not contribute to a brain drain that entices skilled and talented workers away from their developing homelands where they are desperately needed; we should meet our need for skilled professionals by training and retraining American citizens.
- The U.S. should make greater efforts to encourage population stabilization, economic development, and alleviation of poverty worldwide, especially in countries of great migration.
- The era of mass international migration as a solution to national problems has come to an end; problems of poverty and overpopulation must be vigorously confronted where people live, rather than postponing their solution by the exportation or importation of masses of people.
- Determining its own immigration and population policy is the sovereign right and responsibility of every nation.
In fulfilling our mission, FAIR endeavors to achieve these important goals and objectives:
- to end illegal immigration;
- to set legal immigration at levels consistent with the demographic, economic, and social realities of the present;
- to develop a better understanding of the causes and effects of immigration through research and policy analysis;
- to inform leaders in academia, government, the media, and the American public about the effects immigration has on the United States;
- to influence public policy by direct lobbying (to the extent permitted by our tax status) and litigation.
Welcome from the Chairman
In most areas of life, it is hard to measure the impact any of us makes. As someone who has spent years working for immigration reform in the United States, both as a private citizen and as a member and chairman of the Board of Directors of FAIR, I have often found myself wondering whether we are making a difference.
More than at any other time since FAIR came into existence, 2002 convinced me that what we are doing is important and is having an impact. During this past year, it has been almost impossible to pick up a newspaper or watch or listen to the news on TV or radio and not find some discussion of immigration policy. And more often than not, that discussion has included someone from FAIR who could put into context the relationship between immigration and the many serious domestic and international issues our country faces.
To me, it says that the time, effort, and money we have spent building an organization like FAIR has been worthwhile and is making a positive difference. I am proud of what we have accomplished and grateful to the many people who helped make this organization the important voice for immigration reform that it has become.
Sadly, it has taken the tragedy of September 11 and the ongoing threat of terrorism to move the political establishment of this country to begin to take this issue seriously. And there are still many in government who pretend that we can continue to maintain the failed immigration policies of the past 30 years. But our voices are beginning to be heard, and the policy ideas that FAIR has developed over more than two decades are now considered mainstream.
After what we have witnessed in 2002, I am more confident than ever that we are making a significant difference in one of the most important public policy issues of our time. With the continued support of those who have stood behind us in the past and those who have joined this effort in the last year, we will continue to make that difference.
Sincerely,
Sharon Barnes
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Message from the Executive Director
Thanks to the support of our members and activists, 2002 was a banner year for FAIR, with dramatic successes on vital national security fronts and in preventing numerous illegal alien amnesty proposals from moving forward in Congress. Our activist mobilizations have stymied open border advocates at the state and local levels, and we’ve seen the publication of new FAIR reports highlighting chronic U.S. immigration problems.
High on everybody’s list of changes that need to be made to prepare our nation for the threats that face us are significant reforms of our immigration policies and enforcement of our immigration laws. But, coupled with the hardheaded assessment of our immigration policies and lax enforcement of our immigration laws that helped contribute to the tragedy of Sept. 11, there remains a good deal of wishful thinking and special interest politics that continue to inhibit the sort of changes most Americans supported even before our country was attacked.
2002 was the year that Congress abolished the dysfunctional Immigration and Naturalization Service, the agency that FAIR has long pointed out has mismanaged both its responsibilities to enforce our immigration laws and to provide services to those who have legitimate business with the agency. Other positive changes transpired, as well. Foreign nationals from countries known to support and sponsor terrorism have been required to register their presence here. A process has been set in motion that will lead to a long awaited system to track whether people who enter our country on temporary visas leave when they are supposed to. The latest federal budget calls for significant increases in funds to enhance border security.
There are also new challenges emerging. All across the country, state and local governments and law enforcement agencies have made the decision to honor documents issued by foreign governments that are used exclusively by illegal aliens. Other localities have reaffirmed their refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. With every state running record or near record deficits, several have decided to grant in-state tuition subsidies to illegal aliens at state-run universities. In others, proposals were put forth to give illegal aliens driver’s licenses—although I am pleased to report that in 2002, every one of these efforts eventually failed.
No one can predict precisely what will happen in 2003. But what we know for certain is that wherever the immigration debate goes, FAIR will be there to represent the views of millions of Americans who now, more than ever, want sensible reforms and vigorous enforcement of our immigration policies. We will continue to be the source for authoritative research about the impact of mass immigration, assistance for local activists who want to work for immigration reform in their communities, and compelling, persuasive spokespeople for the media.
In 2003, FAIR will continue to insist that immigration policy, like all public policies, place the national interest first. Our goal is to ensure that America enjoys a future that includes safety and security for our citizens, a healthy environment, a high quality of life for future generations, a quality education for all our children, decent jobs at decent wages for all Americans, and a strong and united nation with a shared sense of purpose.
Sincerely,
Dan Stein
Executive Director
Immigration Overview
Government Oversight
FAIR acts as an immigration watchdog, scrutinizing and evaluating the government’s proposed rules, regulations, and procedures involving immigration.
Law Enforcement Advisory Council
FAIR’s Law Enforcement Advisory Council (LEAC) brings together a group of former immigration agents, Border Patrol officers, and other law enforcement experts to advise FAIR and lawmakers on the practical impact of immigration enforcement and management practices and to recommend improvements to immigration law enforcement.
In 2002, LEAC was particularly active in advising state legislators on the dangers of issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.
LEAC also swung into action when a federal legislator proposed eliminating several Border Patrol interior highway checkpoints. Twenty-eight retired law enforcement officials signed a letter to House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), explaining the importance of highway checkpoints and noting that they are crucial to combating smugglers. The result? The checkpoints were preserved.
Census Advisory Committee
As a representative on the Department of Commerce’s Decennial Census Advisory Committee, FAIR helped advise the U.S. Census Bureau on the collection and distribution of national Census data. We advocated practices and procedures that make more information available on immigration and its effect on our nation, pushing for the inclusion of questions that will give immigration researchers better data to evaluate the effects of immigration on our society.
Through our involvement, we have managed to ensure that the Census’s newest project, the American Community Survey, will gauge the demographic profile of the population of the offspring of immigrants. This is information that has not been gathered since 1970, and its absence has crippled immigration research for 30 years. With this kind of information, it will be more possible to evaluate assimilation and the long-term effects of mass immigration.
Government Relations
Educating Congress
FAIR’s government relations program takes our members’ priorities directly to Congress and other key policymakers. On nearly any given day, FAIR’s government relations staff provides congressional offices with information and analysis on immigration-related issues. We field requests from members of Congress to provide input on the impact of proposed legislation, provide background data and research, hold policy briefings for members of Congress and their staffs, testify on important issues, and put immigration on the radar screen of lawmakers through regular meetings, phone calls, and letters.
To cultivate new supporters, we met with a broad variety of House and Senate caucuses, including the Border Caucus, Coalition on Population and Development, Farmland Protection Caucus, Rural Caucus, Conservative Opportunity Society, Republican Israel Caucus, Law Enforcement Caucus, New Democrat Coalition, Northeast Agriculture Caucus, Northern Border Caucus, Republican Study Committee, the Congressional Bluedog Caucus, and many others. We provided them with information about how immigration policy affects their specific areas of interest and briefed them on related legislation.
Department of Homeland Security
In one of the final acts of the 107th Congress, Congress voted to establish a new Department of Homeland Security, putting immigration enforcement under the purview of an agency with a national security mandate. This was a major victory for immigration reform, one that the letters, faxes, and phone calls generated by FAIR activists helped bring about.
FAIR worked closely with a group of bipartisan legislators, helping to craft ideas and proposals that would strengthen, rather than weaken, our immigration system. Throughout the year, FAIR sought a reorganization of the INS that would offer better prospects for easing the backlog of benefit applicants and enhance enforcement of all laws against illegal immigration. Many of our ideas were included in the legislation that ultimately passed overwhelmingly.
Visa Express Program Ended
After scorching criticism from FAIR and the public, in 2002 the State Department finally ended its “Visa Express” program in Saudi Arabia and now requires in-person interviews for those seeking visas from within that country.
The Visa Express program allowed visa applicants in Saudi Arabia, including non-Saudi citizens, to submit visa applications through commercial travel agencies and frequently avoid having to appear for in-person interviews with U.S. consular officers. Fifteen of the 19 September 11th hijackers obtained visas in Saudi Arabia, and at least three applied through the Visa Express program and were not interviewed by American officials.
Legal Immigration Reform
FAIR aggressively educated members of Congress about loopholes in U.S. immigration policy that compromise homeland security. We helped to secure a bipartisan group of 44 cosponsors for the Securing America’s Future Through Enforcement Reform Act of 2002 (SAFER Act). The legislation made reforms intended to secure our northern and southern borders, screen aliens seeking admission to the United States, track aliens already in the United States, expedite removal of alien terrorists and criminals, enhance interior enforcement, protect the integrity of elections by preventing non-citizens from voting, and reduce legal immigration by curtailing chain migration.
Amnesty Proposals Defeated
As amnesty proposal after amnesty proposal came out of Capitol Hill, FAIR batted each one back, showing legislators how all forms of amnesty harm the American people.
The National Immigration Forum and some members of Congress credited the “opponents of immigration liberalization” with derailing their plan to amnesty millions of illegal aliens living in the U.S.
SECTION 245(I) AMNESTY
FAIR fought hard against an extension of Section 245(i), the mini-amnesty that would allow illegal aliens to pay a $1,000 fee and remain in the country, subject to only a cursory background check before receiving permanent legal status.
While the 245(i) renewal was awaiting Congress’ final vote, we uncovered a loophole which would have allowed suspected terrorists to qualify for a green card. After we took it to the media, the resulting firestorm made the legislation radioactive: The 245(i) amendment was killed and has not been reintroduced since.
ILLEGAL ALIEN STUDENT AMNESTY
FAIR generated considerate press coverage and educated members of Congress about the downside of efforts to grant in-state tuition to illegal aliens, as well as efforts to subsequently grant them permanent resident status. After we explained how such bills harm American citizens and legal residents, Congress stopped moving forward with the legislation.
CRIMINAL ALIEN AMNESTY
When legislation was introduced in the House to allow aliens convicted of aggravated felonies to escape deportation and even allow previously deported criminal aliens to apply for readmission to the United States, FAIR was there to point out how such measures would endanger the American public. After we educated representatives about the ramifications of the legislation, the House leadership killed the bill.
Document Security
FAIR pressed to make basic identification documents counterfeit resistant, verifiable, and unavailable to illegal immigrants and to prevent illegal aliens from gaining access to IDs that render them nearly invisible to law enforcement authorities.
FAIR worked with local communities to fight a push by Mexican consulates in the United States for the acceptance of consulate-issued identification cards used by Mexican nationals living in the U.S. Because consular ID cards are only needed by people who aren’t legally in the U.S., communities and businesses that accept the cards as valid ID are undermining immigration enforcement and compromising U.S. security.
After FAIR educated Lake Worth, Florida, officials about the legal issues raised by the acceptance of the consular cards, city commissioners voted down an ordinance to accept the cards as proof of city residency.
Public Comments
In 2002, FAIR submitted public comments to the Department of Labor, the INS, and the Executive Office of Immigration Reform. Our comments opposed creation of an automated processing system for permanent employment-based immigration; supported enforcement of change of address notification provisions of the alien registration laws; supported a proposed reduction of the default admission period for short-term visitors from six months to 30 days; supported Board of Immigration Appeals reform; and critiqued proposals to provide legal representation to unaccompanied alien minors.
Such comments are important because they are the only opportunity for the public to “testify” on new regulations issued by executive agencies. Officials have told us that FAIR’s comments have a disproportionately large effect because we provide detailed legal analysis to support our positions.
FAIR Activists Storm Halls of Congress
FAIR ratcheted up the pressure on lawmakers in June, when we brought activists from across the country to Washington, D.C. to take their message straight to Congress.
At the Coalition for Sensible Immigration Policy (CSIP)’s annual Lobby Days conference, activists spent two days meeting with more than 230 congressional offices to discuss immigration policy. CSIP comprises 40 national, state, regional, and local immigration reform groups, including FAIR. FAIR took the lead in organizing the conference and produced dozens of handouts with background information on the issues before Congress.
Also in 2002, for the third consecutive year, FAIR brought immigration reform activists from across California to Sacramento to lobby members of the state legislature about immigrationrelated issues. About 25 immigration reform activists spent the day visiting members of the State Assembly and Senate.
Litigation
FAIR works hard to promote effective legal strategies and techniques within the immigration reform movement. We file comments and briefs, advise local groups on litigation strategies, and suggest ways of minimizing the impact of adverse decisions. We also draft federal and targeted state and local legislation and help activists fight back against local obstacles to strong federal-state cooperation. And more and more, FAIR is asked to assist with issues of local and state law in many jurisdictions.
Highlights of legal assistance for citizens and other organizations facing legal battles during 2002 included:
- The Second Circuit Court of Appeals appellate decision in RICO litigation subsidized by FAIR (Commercial Cleaning v. Colin Systems marked an important acknowledgement by the courts that immigration law violations cause economic damages. The appeals court validated the legal theory that a racketeering scheme based on employment of illegal aliens could cause economic damages to business competitors of the employer that would not be made whole by INS fines and other enforcement actions.
- We filed an employment-based citizenship discrimination complaint with the Office of Special Counsel on behalf of a U.S. citizen fired from her job with a West Coast trade union after complaining the union hired illegal aliens to conduct Spanishlanguage electioneering activities on behalf of Democratic candidates.
- FAIR prepared legal analysis for communities around the nation, showing how acceptance of the Mexican matricula consular ID card poses serious legal and security concerns. The cards are issued to illegal aliens who cannot access U.S.-issued identity documents.
- We worked with Tucson-based Arizonans for Immigration Reform to draft a complaint demanding an investigation of a group that picks up illegal aliens near the Mexican border and assists them in reaching Tucson or other border cities.
- FAIR advised the North Carolina Attorney General’s office and two police departments in Maryland and Massachusetts on local enforcement options.
- FAIR represented a displaced H-1B worker in an administrative appeal filed against Sun Microsystems, which had laid off the employee while continuing to hire H-1B workers. The H-1B program is supposed to supply American businesses with needed workers who are not available in this country. Instead, it has become a mechanism for companies to freely import workers who are willing to work more cheaply than American high tech workers.
Community Outreach
Citizen involvement plays a crucial role in shaping public policy. FAIR is a resource for activists, providing information, training, and support, and has been a major catalyst in building a reliable activist base throughout the U.S. Our grassroots networks help concerned citizens speak up for change, assisting them in demanding effective, sensible immigration policies that work for America’s best interests.
FAIR provides the comprehensive support that local community groups and individual activists need to be as productive and effective as possible in advancing immigration reform. That support includes leadership training, group development, lobbying and debate skills, legal advice, mentoring, media training, advocacy opportunities, financial assistance, and in-depth education in the immigration issue.
Throughout 2002, FAIR worked with activists in communities across the U.S.:
Group Development
FAIR’s staff organizers and coordinators help motivate local groups and provide counseling, advice, and encouragement to activists on a daily basis. We help groups develop goals and formulate strategy and even host meetings. Our field coordinators provide local groups with talking points, strategic advice, and leadership and group development training.
In 2002, we helped develop local immigration reform groups in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as two student groups in Iowa.
FAIR’s Leadership Training Institute trained community leaders from Maine, Minnesota, Iowa, and Arizona in message development and media skills. Our training also focuses on legal issues, group development, fundraising, lobbying, and debate skills. In 2002, we launched a new training program to help leaders on the local level take what they have learned from us and pass the skills on to others in their groups.
New Online Activism Center
Making it easier for new and longtime activists to get everything they need to fight for immigration reform, FAIR launched a brand new Activism section of our web site.
Visitors to FAIR’s web site now can find step-by-step instructions for projects like writing effective letters to the editor, contacting Congress, holding a demonstration, using talk radio, reaching out to other organizations, starting a local group, and much more. Also included are suggestions for specific timely projects, answers to frequently asked questions, and tips on constructing solid arguments. Visitors can learn about local activities and events around the country and read case studies of local victories.
Supporting Local Immigration Law Enforcement
We educated communities and local officials about the importance of state and local cooperation with federal immigration law enforcement in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. We joined activists in key meetings with state police, Department of Motor Vehicles officials, and governors’ staffs.
As a result of the detailed background information we provided to Florida officials, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement successfully negotiated with the Department of Justice to become the first state in the nation to implement a local enforcement campaign.
Helping Activists Fight for Driver’s License Security
While many states have been tightening standards since September 11 to bar illegal aliens from receiving driver’s licenses, some state legislatures have considered proposals to grant licenses to illegal aliens. FAIR worked with activists around the country, urging state lawmakers to strengthen driver’s license security, not weaken it.
We organized meetings for activists and community groups, helping them to develop a grassroots action plan. FAIR representatives helped local residents to meet with state officials, testified against licensing illegal aliens at public hearings, and provided activists with materials to use in lobbying their legislators, including advice on what a model state driver’s license bill should contain.
Our efforts paid off: Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Texas passed laws preventing illegal aliens from getting driver’s licenses. In Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, and California, we helped activists successfully fight off bills that would have made it easier for illegal aliens to get driver’s licenses. We also helped activists educate their legislators on this issue in Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina.
Many state legislators told us they now see the connection between lax documentation and terrorism and hope to pass positive legislation in 2003. In New Jersey, we helped activists convince the state legislature, governor, and state attorney general to create a new task force to eliminate driver’s license fraud in the state. In Wisconsin, we organized meetings with the Wisconsin Terrorist Task Force to discuss local enforcement of immigration law and driver’s license security. As a result, one Wisconsin state senator requested that the legislature study the issue of the state’s lax requirements for driver’s licenses.
In a major victory, California Governor Gray Davis vetoed legislation that would have allowed many illegal aliens living in California to obtain driver’s licenses and other state-issued identification. FAIR had spent months educating state legislators about the issue. Activists made so many calls to the governor’s office that they bogged down the switchboard several times!
We also conducted a statewide media campaign to ensure that the bill could not be enacted into law without the public noticing. We spoke to reporters and appeared on TV and radio talk shows in virtually every part of California. Our efforts paid off when the governor vetoed the bill, citing the security concerns FAIR had raised.
And Much More…
We contacted hundreds of local and regional environmental and anti-sprawl groups with information about immigration’s connection to environmental issues.
We met with members of the families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks and discussed the role of lax immigration law enforcement in the attacks.
We helped activists struggling with massive Somali refugee resettlement in the Lewiston, Maine area. When an ABC-TV network team arrived in Maine, they encountered very informed activists who were able to discuss specific problems associated with Somali refugee resettlement efforts in other regions.
We presented the Janet Harte Community Activism Award, named for FAIR’s late, beloved board member, to Carol Joyal, a longtime immigration reformer, in recognition of her work with the Immigration Reform Network of Silicon Valley. Under Carol’s leadership, the organization has been a model of community activism, demonstrating how ordinary citizens can organize and work locally to impact the immigration system.
Public Education
Through research and publications, aggressive media outreach, educational advertising, an award-winning web site, and a monthly newsletter, FAIR strives to provide Americans with the information they need to make responsible, sensible decisions about our immigration policy.
Research & Publications
FAIR publications strive to help people understand how immigration is connected to issues they care about.
With Americans concerned that our immigration policies have failed to prioritize security needs, FAIR provided a thorough evaluation of the government’s handling of immigration policy in the year following the September 11 terrorist attacks. An Invitation to Terror: How Our Immigration System Still Leaves America At Risk showed the serious vulnerabilities remaining in our immigration system. We released the report at a well-attended press conference/Hill briefing on Capitol Hill, where we were joined by Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, and by a member of Families of 9/11, whose son was killed in the World Trade Center attack.
The Truth Behind 245(i) Amnesty, FAIR’s study showing that one-quarter of all recent “legal admissions” to the U.S. are, in fact, illegal aliens adjusting their status, received widespread media attention, including a front-page article in the Washington Times. Joining us to release the report were Representative Virgil Goode (R-VA) of the House Immigration Reform Caucus and retired border patrol officer Bill King.
Our report on immigration and energy usage, by Dr. Donald Anthrop, professor of Environmental Studies at San Jose State University, pointed out immigration’s role in the energy crisis. Running in Place: Immigration’s Impact on U.S. Energy Usage showed that immigration has been directly responsible for a full onethird of the increase in U.S. energy use over the last 25 years.
FAIR’s analysis of Census data and school enrollment figures demonstrated that immigration is the engine behind the student population increase—and the resulting school overcrowding plaguing communities around the U.S. No Room to Learn: Immigration and School Overcrowding found that school enrollment—now at an all-time high—would not have risen at all during the past decade if it were not for immigration. Additionally, immigration will account for 96 percent of the increase in enrollment over the next 50 years.
FAIR’s new brochure, Choosing Our Destiny, explains how population growth is impacting the U.S.’s environment and quality of life and is being used by activists from coast to coast.
We helped publish Mary Lou and John Tanton: a Journey into American Conservation, a biography of FAIR’s founders. The book, by author and activist John Rohe, traces the Tantons’ personal histories and how those experiences informed their political development and activism, with childhoods on the farm leading them to deep understanding of and concern for the environment and the threat of overpopulation. In his foreword, former Colorado governor Richard D. Lamm says, “This is much more than a book about two very talented people. It is also a book that articulately illustrates two powerful themes. First, it is an insight into how new viewpoints gain a foothold in the world of ideas…. Second, it is a lesson on how people from even remote parts of America can assert their ideas by the power of their message, the wisdom of their strategies, and the strength of their personalities.”
We launched a new series of state impact statements, examining how immigration has impacted states and local communities in areas like overcrowded schools, traffic congestion, water shortages, vanishing open space, and other quality of life and environmental issues.
Media Relations
FAIR is recognized by the media as the most credible and candid proponent of immigration reform, and our interviews on radio and TV shows and in print media educate millions about the impact of mass immigration on our nation.
In 2002, FAIR spokespeople provided a voice of reason and expertise in print and broadcast media nationwide, on issues ranging from driver’s license legislation to the deportation of illegal alien absconders. Whatever the news topic, FAIR’s immigration experts always emphasize our core message of reform.
In 2002, FAIR staff appeared on or were quoted in more than 5,000 media outlets, including The Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, Wall St. Journal, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Times, Denver Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, Orlando Sentinel, and Minneapolis Star Tribune.
FAIR staff appeared on more than 100 national television news programs, including 20/20, Crossfire, Nightline, The O’Reilly Factor, Dateline, 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, ABC Nightly News, CNN Talkback Live, The McLaughlin Group, Hannity and Colmes, Special Report with Brit Hume, Fox News Live, CNN Today, The Abrams Report, Frontline, PBS, and Court TV.
Our opinion editorials and letters to the editor were published in dozens of newspapers, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, San Francisco Chronicle, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Los Angeles Daily News, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
USNewswire, one of the nation’s top distributors of press releases, media advisories, and daybook alerts, recently noted in a monthly fax sent out to subscribers and customers FAIR’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to assert its influence into the development of breaking news. When the issue broke regarding the issuance of student visas to the September 11th hijackers, USNewswire wrote: “The day after FAIR released its first statement, FAIR’s Stein was quoted in major newspapers across the country…FAIR’s media exposure did not stop with the major newspapers. Stein was also asked to appear as a guest on CNN and MSNBC. The day after their statement was released, Stein appeared on CNN’s Talk Back Live. Two days later Stein was a guest on IMUS on MSNBC. One week later Stein appeared once again on MSNBC…”
Web Site
More than 1.5 million people visited FAIR’s award-winning web site (www.fairus.org) in 2002, over 125,000 each month. The site, which contains over 3,000 pages of timely information on immigration, is regularly turned to by students, journalists, and others seeking up-to-date immigration data. The site is updated daily with immigration news, FAIR’s press releases, action alerts, legislative developments, reports on hearings, FAIR’s congressional testimony, and new immigration-related governmental data and reports. Congressional voting records, status of key legislation, and sample letters to send to Congress are regularly updated for visitors wanting information on how their congressional representatives are voting on important immigration legislation. The site’s Legislative Action Center helps activists communicate with legislators with ease.
The web site provides regularly updated official data on immigration at the national, state, and local level, including information on a jurisdiction’s population, the historical population trend, and population projections for the future. Visitors can find data on an area’s foreign-born population, immigrant settlement by nationality and year of admission, and estimates of the illegal alien population, as well as information on the impact of immigration in the area.
In 2002, we added digital video clips of FAIR media appearances, allowing visitors to watch FAIR reps discuss immigration issues and present arguments for reform.
New Document Security Center
FAIR launched a new resource center on our website dedicated to identity document security. Packed with information about the relationship between lax identity documents and international terrorism, the center offers a comprehensive proposal for an identity document system that is urgently needed to provide Americans greater security against terrorism. The center provides a chronology of foreign terrorism in the United States; analyses of how immigration policy threatens homeland security; explanations of how the immigration system let in the September 11 terrorists; discussion of the principles of secure identification and why it’s central to homeland security; links to scores of news articles on document security, immigration, and homeland security; and FAIR’s own plan for identity verification and the prevention of credential fraud.
Stein Report: Up-to-the Minute Breaking News
Our breaking immigration news summary, the Stein Report, attracted 5,000 visitors per month during 2002. It provides a thumbnail description of the day’s top immigration news accounts (35-40 each week) for the busy visitor to the site, and it also provides links to the original news account and related stories for those who want to access the primary source. The Stein Report also alerts visitors to our new press releases and legislative action alert messages. Our news headlines are syndicated to several other Internet sites, bringing our materials to a larger viewing audience.
Speakers Bureau
FAIR representatives gave dozens of presentations to civic groups, high school and college students, professional organizations, and government boards in 2002. Groups addressed included the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Fellowship Program; the Washington Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values; the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars; the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities’ American Studies Program; American University, Leadership New Jersey, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, and other public meetings and citizen roundtables.
International Outreach
FAIR serves as a resource on the immigration issue not only to the American public, but to the world as well.
In 2002, FAIR staff met with the following foreign officials:
Carolina Ayala, Advisor to the Director General for North America Foreign Relations Secretariat (Mexico) |
Xochitl Pimienta, Deputy Director, Liaison Office with Political Parties and Civil Society, Foreign Relations Secretariat (Mexico) |
Juan Jose Garcia, Foreign Affairs Secretary, National Executive Committee, Democratic Revolutionary Party (Mexico) |
Edgar Rodriguez, Director of International Relations, National Executive Committee, National Action Party (Mexico) |
Angel Meixueiro, Federal Deputy, Institutional Revolutionary Party (Mexico) |
Adam Bernatowicz, Chairman, Refugee Board, Ministry of the Interior (Poland) |
Tarcisio Navarete, Federal Deputy, Liaison Office with Political Parties and Civil Society, Foreign Relations Secretariat (Mexico) |
Alexander Kaczmarke, Caucus Manager, Christian Democratic Union, Berlin State Parliament (Germany) |
Brigitte Meier, Munich City Council member (Germany) |
Manfred Profazi, Operations Coordinator, International Organization for Migration |
Monika Dueker, State Parliament member (Germany) |
Sarah Sorge, Hesse State Parliament member (Germany) |
Martin Dulig, Chairman, Saxony Youth Organization (Germany) |
Aydan Oezoguz, Director, German-Turkish Program, Koerber Foundation (Germany) |
Membership
FAIR’s programs and activities depend solely on the financial support of individual citizens and philanthropic foundations. FAIR receives no government or corporate funding. FAIR maintains, as its highest priority, an effort to make the most cost-effective allocation of its financial resources.
Sidney A. Swensrud Endowment Fund — Sidney A. Swensrud (1900-1996), a graduate of the Harvard Business School, went to work in the petroleum industry and rose quickly to the rank of Chairman of the Gulf Oil Corporation. Foreseeing the impact that immigration would have on U.S. population growth and the problems it would bring, ranging from environmental pressures to the displacement of American workers, he joined with other individuals in 1979 to form FAIR. The Sidney A. Swensrud Endowment Fund, established in 1985, is “America’s insurance policy for the future.” The endowment fund gives FAIR the flexibility to organize resources for short-term projects while ensuring a strong financial foundation for FAIR’s long-term goal of shaping a sensible immigration policy.
Swensrud Memorial Internship Fund — Established in 1996, the Swensrud Memorial Internship Fund is a permanent source of support for internships at FAIR. Intern positions are available to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate college students. Internships are from three to six months in duration. FAIR interns receive a comprehensive education on the immigration issue and the role a public interest organization plays in the democratic process. Interns are assigned projects and tasks that allow them to hone their professional skills and develop an appreciation of the importance of immigration issues in 21st century America. Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders, and FAIR’s internship program encourages active participation in all public policy debate arenas.
2002 FAIR Interns
Jessica Dixon Development Intern University of North Carolina |
LaRell Hart Government Relations Intern American University |
Sarah Schambach Information Technology Intern James Mason University |
Stephen Vecchio Membership Intern George Washington University |
Border Security Fund — The Border Security Fund was established in 1988 to examine methods for improving security at our nation’s borders. The purpose of the Fund is to promote measures designed to prevent illegal entry across American borders of would-be immigrants, drug smugglers, and other criminals. To date, FAIR has published the findings of the Border Security Fund in two books: Ten Steps to Securing America’s Borders and Ten Steps to Ending Illegal Immigration.
In 1999, the Law Enforcement Advisory Council (LEAC) was formed and operates out of the Border Security Fund. LEAC’s purpose is to advise FAIR and the nation on the practical impact of immigration enforcement practices and management policies. LEAC is composed of retired Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel and Border Patrol agents and veterans of other law enforcement agencies. LEAC members exchange information and ideas on improving immigration law enforcement and offer guidance to Congress and other policy makers. Members are available as experts in immigration law enforcement to testify before Congress or to offer background information and guidance to Congressional committees, other policy makers, and to the media.
Cornerstone Contributors — Some of the most valuable supporters of immigration reform support FAIR through monthly electronic funds transfers from their bank accounts or credit cards. By reducing mailing costs, the Cornerstone Contributor program, available to all FAIR members, helps to maximize the resources available for immigration reform activities and gives FAIR a stable monthly income to help implement needed activities.
Seventh Generation Society — The Seventh Generation Society is a unique group of FAIR members who are ensuring that FAIR will be around to shape sensible immigration policies for generations to come, by including FAIR in their wills. The name of the Society is derived from the law of the Iroquois Indians’ confederacy: “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
Each member’s name is engraved on the Seventh Generation Society plaque, which is displayed in FAIR’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
FAIR Gift Memberships — Many FAIR supporters help FAIR educate the public about immigration reform by purchasing gift subscriptions to our monthly newsletter, Immigration Report, for friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues. Gift memberships help to spread the word about immigration reform and help to expand FAIR’s membership base.
REVENUE & SUPPORT | Unrestricted | Temporarily Restricted | Permanently Restricted | Total |
Grants | $1,877,079 | $90,000 | — | $1,967,079 |
Contributions | 1,142,753 | — | — | 1,142,753 |
Investment Income | 482,737 | 9,253 | — | 491,990 |
Other Income | 25,856 | — | — | 25,856 |
Net assets released from restrictions: Satisfaction of program restrictions |
142,142 | (142,142) | ||
TOTAL REVENUE & SUPPORT | 3,670,567 | (42,889) | — | 3,627,678 |
EXPENSES | ||||
Program Services | ||||
Public Education | 598,273 | — | — | 598,273 |
Membership Education and Services | 515,347 | — | — | 515,347 |
Field | 296,545 | — | — | 296,545 |
Research and Publications | 468,273 | — | — | 468,273 |
Media | 363,260 | — | — | 363,260 |
Government Relations | 438,827 | — | — | 438,827 |
Lobbying | 265,942 | — | — | 265,942 |
Litigation | 125,740 | — | — | 125,740 |
Total Program Services | 3,072,207 | — | — | 3,072,207 |
Supporting Services | ||||
Management and General | 482,449 | — | — | 482,449 |
Fundraising | 452,696 | — | — | 452,696 |
Total Supporting Services | 935,145 | — | — | 935,145 |
TOTAL EXPENSES | 4,007,352 | — | — | 4,007,352 |
Change in net assets before unrealized loss on investments | (336,785) | (42,889) | — | (379,674) |
Unrealized loss on investments | (1,067,630) | — | — | (1,067,630) |
Change in net assets | (1,404,415) | (42,889) | — | (1,447,304) |
NET ASSETS, BEGINNING OF YEAR | 7,163,187 | 848,930 | 2,531,324 | 10,543,441 |
NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR | $5,758,772 | $806,041 | $2,531,324 | $9,096,137 |
Board of Directors
FAIR’s governing body is an active Board of Directors, with separate committees for addressing the needs of the organization. The Directors meet formally three times a year and in frequent conference calls to assess progress and guide FAIR’s role in the immigration reform movement.
Nancy Anthony
Ms. Anthony is President of Fernwood Advisors, Inc., an investment advisory firm. Her business career has been in investment management and tax planning and preparation. She has been active in several Boston area medical, social service, and educational institutions including Children’s Hospital, McLean Hospital, and Massachusetts Historical Society, and in local, state, and national politics. She received a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University, a Master of Science in Accountancy from DePaul University, and a CPA at the University of Illinois.
Sharon Barnes
Ms. Barnes is a businesswoman who owns and runs a company that restores and manages historic properties. For more than 20 years she was a vice president in charge of real estate investments for one of the nation’s largest insurance companies. She is active in historic preservation and frequently testifies before landmark commissions. A founding member of FAIR, Ms. Barnes has also been active in population, environment, and women’s issues. She received her MBA from Columbia University.
Henry Mendelssohn Buhl
Mr. Buhl is the founder of the not-for-profit Association of Community Employment for the Homeless and its three operating companies: SoHo, SoMA, and TriBeCa Partnerships. These organizations offer the homeless community life skills, job training, and employment services. Mr. Buhl started his career on the New York Stock Exchange and later managed international mutual funds at I.O.S. Geneva. After a successful investment career, he turned his eyes to photography and community involvement. In addition to chairing the Photography Committee of the Guggenheim Museum, Mr. Buhl serves as a trustee of the Metropolitan College of New York and the African Museum of Art. He also founded and is president of the Buhl Foundation, which directs funds to support scholarship in the arts and human services.
Donald A. Collins
Mr. Collins serves as a program and financial consultant to a number of nonprofit and charitable institutions. He serves on several non-governmental organization boards, including The Population Institute, Family Health International, and International Projects Assistance Services, whose varied activities are primarily concerned with advocacy of international family planning, women’s rights, and reproductive health.
Sarah G. Epstein
Ms. Epstein is an art lecturer and volunteer. She serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including Pathfinder International, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, Center for Development and Population Activities, and The Population Institute. She has served as a volunteer for the Urban League and as an organizer for civil rights marches in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and Simmons School of Social Work.
Garrett Hardin, Emeritus
Dr. Hardin is Professor Emeritus of Human Ecology at the University of California. He is a lecturer and writer of numerous influential articles and books, including Nature and Man’s Fate, Exploring New Ethics for Survival: The Voyage of Spaceship Beagle, Stalking the Wild Taboo, Managing the Commons, and Promethean Ethics: Living with Death, Competition, and Triage. A biologist by training, Dr. Hardin’s research and writings have addressed not only the environmental consequences of man’s inexorable increase in numbers, but also the ethical and economic implications of this growth. His watershed essay, “The Tragedy of the Commons,” first published in Science magazine in 1968, is included in some 80-odd anthologies in the fields of biology, conservation, ecology, sociology, political science, law, philosophy, ethics, and economics. He was honored with the Phi Beta Kappa award in science for his 1993 book, Living Within Limits. Dr. Hardin is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Stanford University.
Stephen B. Swensrud
Mr. Swensrud is Chairman of Fernwood Advisors, Inc., an investment advisory firm in Boston, Massachusetts. He is Chairman of RPP Corporation in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Director or Trustee of various Merrill Lynch-Sponsored Mutual Funds. His business career has involved both private and institutional venture capital, ownership of companies in diverse fields, and representation on many investment company and trust boards. He has been active for many years with various educational and medical institutions in the Boston area, including the Museum of Science, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. He is a graduate of Princeton University and has an M.B.A. from Harvard University.
John Tanton, MD
Dr. Tanton is the original founder of FAIR. He became interested in immigration to the United States through his long-standing concerns about the effects of unplanned and uncontrolled population growth and resource depletion. He was the national President of Zero Population Growth from 1975 to 1977 and was Chairman of its Immigration Study Committee from 1973 to 1975. He was organizer and President of the Northern Michigan Planned Parenthood chapter. From 1971 to 1975, Dr. Tanton served as Chairman of the Sierra Club National Population Committee. He is currently editor and publisher of The Social Contract, a quarterly public policy journal. He was a 1990 recipient of the Chevron Conservation Award. Dr. Tanton is a graduate of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan Medical School.
Alan N. Weeden
Mr. Weeden is President of the Weeden Foundation, a family foundation based in New York City, whose mission is to help save biodiversity on our planet. Mr. Weeden, a native of California, was educated at Stanford University and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His business career was at Weeden & Company, a securities firm where he served as CEO and Chairman before his retirement in 1981. Mr. Weeden serves on numerous boards of both corporations and non-profit environmental organizations.
Board of Advisors
Mr. Lamm served as Governor of Colorado from 1975 to 1987. A civil rights lawyer by training, Mr. Lamm worked with the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission. He served eight years as a member of the Colorado State Legislature. He is currently the Director of the Center for Public Policy and Contemporary Issues at the University of Denver, and is a frequent lecturer on government, healthcare policy, population, and the environment. He is the author of several books, including The Immigration Time Bomb, The Angry West, 1988 (with Arnold Grossman), and Megatraumas. Formerly a member of FAIR’s Board of Directors, Mr. Lamm serves as the Chairman of FAIR’s National Board of Advisors. Mr. Lamm is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, and received his law degree from the University of California.
Duke Austin Gaithersburg, MD |
Pat Choate Washington, DC |
Lawrence E. Harrison Vineyard Haven, MA |
The Hon. Anthony Beilenson Chevy Chase, MD |
William, Collard, Esq. Manhasset, NY |
Edward H. Harte Corpus Christi, TX |
Gwat Bhattacharjie Santa Barbara, CA |
Clifford Colwell, M.D. La Jolla, CA |
Bonnie Hawley Redwood City, CA |
Gerda Bikales Bethesda, MD |
Dino J. Drudi Washington, DC |
Robert P. Higley (19142003) Austin, TX |
The Hon. Brian Bilbray Alexandria, VA |
Anne H. Ehrlich, Ph.D. Stanford, CA |
Walter E. Hoadley (19162003) San Francisco, CA |
Dorothy R. Blair Naples, FL |
Paul R. Ehrlich, Ph.D. Stanford, CA |
The Hon. Walter D. Huddleston Elizabethtown, KY |
Edith Blodgett Grand Rapids, MI |
Bonnie Erbe Arlington, VA |
Diana Hull, Ph.D. Santa Barbara, CA |
John Brock New York, NY |
Donald A. Feder Framingham, MA |
The Hon. Fred C. Ikle Bethesda, MD |
Frances Burke, Ph.D. Boston, MA |
Peter Gadiel Kent, CT |
Jacquelyne J. Jackson, Ph.D. Shawnee Mission, KS |
Cleveland Chandler, Ph.D. Washington, DC |
Robert Gillespie Pasadena, CA |
Mrs. T. N. Jordan Healdsburg, CA |
William W. Chip, Esq. Washington, DC |
Otis Graham Jr., Ph.D. Wilmington, NC |
Carol Joyal Los Gatos, CA |
FAIR Annual Report 2002 (371 KB)