This week's blog task was to find two websites, one in support of Latino immigration in to the United States and another website that gives the opposite opinion. When I was searching for results in google, i noticed how it was certainly a lot easier to find websites which give anti-immigration support rather than pro, which immediately suggests how the dominant ideology in America is that illegal immigrants or "Aliens" are bad.
The first website I have found is American Immigration Control, this website is one that is anti-immigration. The website and group have been active since 1983 and claims to have over a quarter of a million members that are of all creeds, races and colours. On the home page of the website is is made very clear of the groups aim, as it is full of bullet points explaining their ideologies, but the one that jumps out first is the one that reads, "AIC is about deporting those illegal aliens already in the US". This statement suggested to me that the website has some underlying racist beliefs and after researching the website's owners, it is clear that this website is run by people who may believe that illegal immigration needs to be stopped but perhaps not just for the reasons of it being a drain on America but also becasue they are racist.
AIC has been headed by John Vinson since 1990. In the mid-1990s, Sam Francis, who was fired from the conservative Washington Times after penning a racially inflammatory column, was AICF chairman. Today, Francis is editor of the racist Council of Conservative Citizens' (CCC) monthly tabloid, Citizens Informer. Vinson, who is also editor of the anti-immigration publication Border Watch, often speaks at CCC meetings and is a founding member of the white supremacist League of the South.
AIC claim that they are about demanding that the federal government immediately use maximum manpower and support to secure our nation from terrorists, drug smugglers and illegals. Yet the website gives no insight as to how the US government might be able to do such a thing, not only would it cost a fortune but the impracticalities of being able to secure the border just because of it's size is something that couldn't be done.
The website also has a section about congressional support and they have on their a few quotes from members of congress who support what the website is trying to achieve, all of these are from republicans. and the website claims to have no association with any political parties.
The second website that I located was http://immigrationclearinghouse.org/about/ This website is a website that was established to be an aggregate for other pro migrant sites. Immigration Clearinghouse is set up to face off against "the anti immigrant right wing hate groups" who they believe have been very vocal in an attempt to put forward their anti Hispanic agenda.
The website doesn't appear to be funded as well as the previous one I have looked at, but its message is just as clear, that this group are fully pro immigration and are appauled at how immigrant families can be treated, "We oppose and despise the gestapo like tactics that ICE and Homeland Security use to separate families while separating and destroying families."
The group are in full belief that the American Dream is still something that can be achieved and feel that immigrants have just as much right to it today as they did when it was first realised. Also the website is concerned with raising awareness about hate speech and hate crimes, in an attempt to stop such things from occurring.
Immigration Clearing House have a much more liberal view on immigration and it is clear that instead of trying to alienate these people they are trying their best to intergrate them into American society, this can be seen through their support of the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act — or DREAM — would create a path to citizenship for immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children under the age of 16 by their parents.
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