Anti-Hispanic Hate Crime Drops Three Years in a Row

What Will Mass Immigration Advocates Use Now to Stifle Debate?

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Newly released FBI hate crime data provide conclusive evidence that there is no connection between a serious national debate about immigration policy and hate crimes committed against Hispanics, says the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).  For the third consecutive year, the number of Hispanics nationwide who fell victim to hate crimes decreased dramatically. In 2009, the FBI recorded 692 victims of anti-Hispanic hate crimes compared with 792 in 2008 and 830 in 2007.  This decline is further magnified when one takes into account that the number of law enforcement agencies contributing data to the FBI hate crime reports has increased 9 percent since 2007.

"The decline in the number of Hispanics in the United States who have been the targets of hate crimes is welcome news for everyone, with the apparent exception of a handful of advocacy groups that have been trying to silence debate about immigration policy," noted Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). In recent years, there have been calculated efforts, spearheaded by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), to manipulate hate crime data to further their own political and fundraising goals. SPLC and groups like the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) have claimed falsely that advocates for immigration reduction and enforcement were directly responsible for what they termed "a wave of hate."

"However, contrary to the hysteria that has been whipped up by mass immigration advocacy groups, there is no connection between a healthy debate about immigration policy and crimes directed against any group in our society," said Stein. "The new FBI data backs that up. But even more conclusive is the evidence that SPLC and others have manipulated and distorted data in order to prevent the debate from continuing," Stein said.

"In fact, the only intemperate rhetoric in this national debate has come from groups like SPLC and NCLR who have shamelessly sought to stifle debate about a critical public policy," Stein charged. "Even as immigration has become a front-burner political issue, the American people, to their credit, have demonstrated that they draw a clear distinction between policies and people. Notwithstanding the blatant falsehoods propagated by SPLC, Americans have shown that they can dissent on immigration policy while treating all people with the respect and dignity they deserve."

About FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.  

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)