Reporter’s Handbook
March 18th, 2010

Dear Members of the Media:

Despite all our efforts, I fear that this year's coming debate over fixing our broken immigration system is likely to be as contentious, if not more so, as the last time Congress took up the issue in 2007. As we have seen from last year's town hall meetings on health care reform, certain sectors of the public are willing to go to extremes in order to make themselves heard.

Unfortunately, arrayed among the players in the immigration debate are many with ties to vigilantes, White supremacists, and nativists who have been part of the opposition to reforming our nation's immigration system for decades. Last time immigration reform was debated on Capitol Hill, their message tainted the debate and produced what one of my colleagues called at the time "a wave of hate." Inaction in Washington forced the debate over immigration to the state and local levels, and this wave of hate spilled over with it. This phenomenon has created throughout the country an environment in which Hispanics live in a state of fear, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. Since immigration reform was most recently put on the table, hate crimes against Latinos have spiked alarmingly, as have the number of hate groups targeting Latinos. There is no doubt that words have consequences, and hateful words have hateful consequences.

It is the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) belief that, as a country, we can debate immigration reform without resorting to misinformation that demonizes the immigrant community and without code words used to engender hate. As the debate unfolds, NCLR will be appealing to the better angels of America's nature-not our worst fears. We want to debate immigration reform on its merits.

This guide is designed to help those interested in the issue to recognize and sort through the charged rhetoric we expect to surface. It catalogues:

• Code words used to demonize immigrants
• Myths propagated to instill fear and anger among Americans
• Spokespeople and commentators who have ties to White supremacy, hate, and nativism
• Organizations with ties to White supremacy that were created to wage a war of propaganda against immigrants and immigration reform
• Allegations spread by many of these same organizations seeking to marginalize NCLR's voice in the debate and our responses to those allegations

This handbook is not designed to quell the voices of those we don't agree with or challenge their right to speak. It is simply intended to educate readers about the backgrounds and agendas of those participating in the immigration debate.

Sincerely,

Janet Murguía
President and CEO
NCLR

Reporter's Handbook (Entire Document)

• Climate of Fear (Fact Sheet)
• Code Words of Hate (Fact Sheet)
  • Immigrants Targeted: Extremist Rhetoric Moves Into the Mainstream, Anti-Defamation League Report

• Know Who You're Dealing With (Fact Sheet)
  • The John Tanton Network, Center for New Community Map
    
  • The Nativist Lobby: Three Faces of Intolerance, Southern Poverty Law Center Report

• Hate Crimes Targeting Latinos (Chart)
• Number of U.S. Hate Groups (Chart)
• NCLR Myths vs. Reality
• NCLR Spokespeople