NumbersUSA
NumbersUSA is an anti-immigration[6][7][8][9] advocacy organization that seeks to reduce both legal and illegal immigration to the United States.[10] It advocates for immigration reduction through user-generated fax, email, and direct mail campaigns.[11] In November 2022, the organization announced James Massa, a former Cisco executive, as its next chief executive officer following the retirement of founder Roy Beck.[3]
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| Formation | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Founder | John Tanton, Roy Beck[1][2] |
| Location | |
Key people | James Massa, President and CEO[3] Rosemary Jenks, Government Relations Director[4] |
Revenue | US$ 7.46 million (2019)[5] |
| Endowment | US$ 8.97 million (2016)[4] |
| Website | www |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in the United States |
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History
Beck founded NumbersUSA in 1997 after working as a Washington editor for Tanton's white nationalist journal Social Contract, and considered "heir-apparent" to publisher Social Contract Press, which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.[12] NumbersUSA was promoted by co-founder Tanton[13] as the "grassroots arm for the anti-immigrant movement".[14][1]
In 2004, NumbersUSA reported 50,000 members.[2] In 2007, it claimed 1.5 million members.[15]
In 2007, NumbersUSA was influential in derailing a bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill.[16] The organization's members used information and tools from NumbersUSA to contact legislators and voice opposition.[2]
NumbersUSA Action, which is a 501(c)(4), receives 95 percent of its lobbying budget through member donations of $100 or less. According to tax records from 2013, the single largest donor to NumbersUSA Education and Research Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3), was the Colcom Foundation, which contributed approximately $4.5 million out of an annual budget of $7-10 million. That budget is dwarfed by those of pro-immigration advocacy groups, which from 2008-2012 spent some $1.5 billion.[17]
Ideology and criticism
Beck's interest in immigration was sparked by his work as a journalist covering the nascent environmental movement in the 1960s, and especially the effect of population growth.[17] Beck says that he started NumbersUSA after he wrote The Case Against Immigration, which was published in 1996. In the course of researching the book he says that he came to see various problems in the US resulting from immigration, which he based on a study of crime in Wausau, Wisconsin.[18]
NumbersUSA founder Roy Beck gained unfavorable attention via a presentation where he used gumballs to show that immigration to the United States did not alleviate world poverty. The conclusion was that the United States should restrict immigration more and help the impoverished where they are, instead of allowing them to migrate to richer countries.[19] David R. Henderson, an economist at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and the Naval Postgraduate School, countered that the presentation was misleading and insinuates Americans were doing immigrants a favor by letting them into the United States and that the net benefit of loosening immigration restrictions would be substantial gain for Americans.[20][21]
NumbersUSA has previously ran ads[22] containing "inaccurate, inflated and emotionally charged claims" according to FactCheck.Org and PolitiFact,[23][24] including a quote taken out of context from Texas Democrat Barbara Jordan, from a testimony given on a 1996 federal commission, which was used in an ad during the 2016 presidential primaries.[25]
Reception
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) describes NumbersUSA as part of a network of "anti-immigration" organizations created by Tanton.[26]
In February 2009, NumbersUSA was called a nativist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center's report "The Nativist Lobby",[27] though the SPLC also stated that there is no evidence of explicit racism on behalf of Roy Beck or his organization.[28] NumbersUSA firmly denies having any racist or extremist views.[29]
References
- "Anti-Immigrant". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- Pear, Robert (July 15, 2007). "Little-Known Group Claims a Win on Immigration". New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
Numbers USA is one of many organizations fostered by John H. Tanton, an ophthalmologist from Michigan who has also championed efforts to protect the environment, limit population growth and promote English as an official language.
- "NumbersUSA, Nation's Largest Single-issue Grassroots Group, Welcomes New CEO". PR Newswire. November 16, 2022.
- "NumbersUSA 2016 Annual Report" (PDF). NumbersUSA. December 31, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
- NumbersUSA. "2019 Annual Report" (PDF).
- Explaining 'Chain Migration'. National Public Radio, 7 January 2018
- Mich. man who led anti-immigration fight nearly forgotten. Detroit News, 15 March 2017
- Here Are the Most Anti-Immigrant Republicans Running This Year. Murguia, Sophie. Mother Jones, 16 October 2018
- Abrajano, Marisa; Hajnal, Zoltan L. (March 22, 2015). White Backlash: Immigration, Race, and American Politics. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-6648-9.
- Deparle, Jason (April 17, 2011). "The Anti-Immigration Crusader". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- Sifuentes, Edward (September 24, 2011). "REGION: Groups' TV ad campaigns advocate reducing legal immigration". North County Times. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- "Anti-Immigration Groups". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center (101). Spring 2001. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- DeParle, J. (April 17, 2011). "The Anti-Immigration Crusader]". The New York Times.
- "The Social Contract Publishes its Last Tract". Southern Poverty Law Center. April 23, 2020.
- Solomon, John; Mosk, John (December 5, 2007). "Nonprofits Become A Force in Primaries". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- Kulish, Nicholas; McIntire, Mike (August 14, 2019). "Why an Heiress Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- Davis, Julie Hirschfeld (December 3, 2014). "Genial Force Behind Bitter Opposition to Immigration Overhaul". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- D'Agostino, Joseph A. (August 25, 2003). "Numbers USA". Human Events. Vol. 59, no. 29. Washington. p. 16. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- Ball, Molly (August 1, 2013). "The Little Group Behind the Big Fight to Stop Immigration Reform". Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- Henderson, David. "When Numeracy Misleads".
- Henderson, David. "The Other Problems with Roy Beck on Immigration".
- Jenks, Rosemary. "Chain Migration Under Current U.S. Law: The Potential Impact of a Single Employment-Based Immigrant". www.numbersusa.com. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- "A Puffed-up Appeal to Job Fears - FactCheck.org". FactCheck.org. June 12, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- "Marietta Republican says a single immigrant can lead to more than 270 others". @politifact. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- Nakamura, David (December 19, 2016). "After years on the outside, foes of legal immigration find a louder voice with Trump's election". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- "SPLC's overview of John Tanton's Fundraising Network". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on June 24, 2006.
- "The Nativist Lobby; Three Faces of Intolerance". Southern Poverty Law Center. 2009. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
- "NumbersUSA". Southern Poverty Law Center. 2009. Archived from the original on October 7, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- "'The Nativist Lobby'". Opinion. The New York Times. February 4, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2010.