NumbersUSA

NumbersUSA
Founder Roy Beck[1][2]
Location
Key people
 Roy Beck, Executive Director; Rosemary Jenks, Government Relations Director [3]
Revenue
US$ 10.61 million (2016)[3]
Endowment US$ 8.97 million[3]
Website Official website

NumbersUSA is an immigration reduction organization that seeks to reduce both legal and illegal immigration to the United States.[4] It advocates for immigration reduction through user-generated fax, email, and direct mail campaigns.

History

NumbersUSA was founded in 1997 by Roy Beck while he worked for anti-immigration activist John Tanton.[1] Beck's interest in immigration was sparked by his work as a journalist covering the starting environmental movement in the 1960s, and especially the effect of population growth.[5] 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 determined many of the problems in the US resulted from immigration, based on a study of crime in Wausau, Wisconsin.[6]

In 2004, NumbersUSA reported 50,000 members.[1] In 2007, it claimed 1.5 million members.[7] The organization claimed 1.1 million member activists as of December 2011.

On June 28, 2007, NumbersUSA claimed a victory after a sweeping immigration bill collapsed in the U.S. Senate. The organization's members used information and tools from NumbersUSA to contact legislators and voice opposition.[1]

Activities

The Huffington Post reports "NumbersUSA has become something of a bellwether for Republican presidential candidates, who cite the organization's immigration report card to prove they oppose unauthorized immigration."[8] The NumbersUSA 501c4s get 95 percent of its lobbying budget through member donations of $100 or less, although the single largest donor, according to tax records from 2013, was the Colcom Foundation, which contributed approximately $4.5 million out of an annual budget of $10 million.[5]

NumbersUSA ran an ad during the Fox News Republican presidential candidates debate in 2011 which included some of their minority activists and the statement. "The immigration debate should not be about the color of people's skin, or their country of origin, or their religion, or where their grandparents were born, The debate should be about the numbers."[9]

False claims

FactCheck.Org have said an advertisement released by NumbersUSA contained "inaccurate, inflated and emotionally charged claims."[10] PolitiFact evaluated as false a NumbersUSA claim that, in an extreme case, the migration of "a single permanent foreign worker could result in the permanent immigration to the United States of 273" relatives through chain migration,[11] noting widespread agreement among experts that such this was "likely impossible under quotas established under current immigration policy".[12]

During the 2016 presidential primaries, NumbersUSA ran an ad that quotes testimony from Barbara Jordan, a Texas Democrat, on a 1996 federal commission that “the commission finds no national interest in continuing to import lesser-skilled and unskilled workers to compete in the most vulnerable parts of our labor force.” However, according to The Washington Post, "Studies have shown that immigrants who arrive legally boost the economy over the long term and that many have higher levels of education than native-born Americans. Commission members said NumbersUSA took Jordan’s words out of context and noted that the commission also proposed accommodating a global waiting list of more than 1 million immigration applicants."[13]

Criticism

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) describes NumbersUSA as part of a network of "anti-immigration" organizations created by Tanton.[14] A Wall Street Journal Opinion section article, also identifies NumbersUSA as one of a half dozen groups founded or funded by Tanton in order to stop immigration and promote population control.[15] In February 2009, NumbersUSA was called a nativist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center's report "The Nativist Lobby",[16] though the SPLC also stated that there is no evidence of racism on behalf of Roy Beck or his organization.[17] NumbersUSA firmly denies having any racist or extremist views.[18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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.
  2. ↑ "NumbersUSA staff comment to News21 description (See Comment below the entry". Retrieved April 10, 2009. After Roy Beck started NumbersUSA with Roy Beck’s own money, John Tanton made some small contributions amounting to less than 0.3% of the total funding of the organization. ... Roy Beck did start NumbersUSA while he worked for John Tanton. But people often start businesses and non-profits while they are working for somebody else. After all, you need to have money coming in while you set things up.
  3. 1 2 3 "NumbersUSA 2016 Annual Report" (pdf). NumbersUSA. December 31, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  4. ↑ Deparle, Jason (2011-04-17). "The Anti-Immigration Crusader". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  5. 1 2 Davis, Julie Hirschfeld (3 December 2014). "Genial Force Behind Bitter Opposition to Immigration Overhaul". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  6. ↑ D'Agostino, Joseph A. (August 25, 2003). "Numbers USA". Human Events. 59 (29). Washington. p. 16. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Solomon, John; Mosk, John (5 December 2007). "Nonprofits Become A Force in Primaries". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Huffington Post: NumbersUSA runs ads in South Carolina Primary
  9. ↑ Sifuentes, Edward (24 September 2011). "REGION: Groups' TV ad campaigns advocate reducing legal immigration". North County Times. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "A Puffed-up Appeal to Job Fears - FactCheck.org". FactCheck.org. 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ "Marietta Republican says a single immigrant can lead to more than 270 others". @politifact. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  13. ↑ Nakamura, David (19 December 2016). "After years on the outside, foes of legal immigration find a louder voice with Trump's election". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  14. ↑ "SPLC's overview of John Tanton's Fundraising Network". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on June 24, 2006.
  15. ↑ "Borderline Republicans". Opinion. The Wall Street Journal. 17 June 2004. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014. (subscription required)
  16. ↑ "The Nativist Lobby; Three Faces of Intolerance". Southern Poverty Law Center. 2009. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  17. ↑ "NumbersUSA". Southern Poverty Law Center. 2009. Archived from the original on October 7, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  18. ↑ "'The Nativist Lobby'". Opinion. The New York Times. February 4, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2010.

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