NumbersUSA

History

NumbersUSA was founded by Roy Beck while he worked for anti-immigration environmental activist John Tanton. Beck says that he started NumbersUSA after he wrote The Case Against Immigration (ISBN 0393039153). In the course of researching the book he tracked many of the problems in the US to immigration. However, Beck says that NumbersUSA has been independent of Tanton since 2002.

NumbersUSA has grown aggressively since its inception. In 2004, it reported 50,000 members. In 2007, it claimed its website had 1.5 million visitors. The organization currently claims as of December 2011 1.1 million member activists.

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.

Activities

NumbersUSA lobbies the executive and legislative branches of the US government for immigration reduction. It takes a multifaceted approach to immigration reform. First, executive staff at NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation work directly with congress to inform them about the impacts of immigration. Second, NumbersUSA Action Inc. encourages direct civic outreach from its members who can send customizable faxes with pre-written headers to government officials. Members are also encouraged to call their representatives to voice concerns about the adverse consequences of immigration in response to email alerts. Also, it operates Americans for Better Immigration, which scores U.S. representatives and senators on their immigration-related votes. 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." The NumbersUSA 501c4s get 95 percent of its lobbying budget through member donations of $100 or less.

NumbersUSA is a member of the Coalition for the Future American Worker. It shares Arlington, VA office space with ProEnglish, an organization advocating English as the official language of government in the U.S.

NumbersUSA also disseminates resources to educate the public about the effects of current immigration levels.

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."

Policies

NumbersUSA's says it is "pro-immigrant" and favors annual immigration of 200,000. On the group's website, Beck cautions against "immigrant bashing" and says, "Even illegal aliens deserve humane treatment as they are detected, detained and deported".

According to Fox News, NumbersUSA is "an organization that presses for lower immigration levels along with humanitarian treatment of illegal immigrants"

Criticism

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) describes NumbersUSA as part of a network of "anti-immigration" organizations created by Tanton. 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. In February 2009, NumbersUSA was called a nativist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center's report "The Nativist Lobby", though the SPLC also stated that there is no evidence of racism on behalf of Roy Beck or his organization. NumbersUSA firmly denies having any racist or extremist views.