Week in Review: CIS still has foothold in Congress, FAIR-pledge candidates fall again in primaries

Earlier this summer, anti-immigrant hysteria fueled protests in Murrieta, California, compelling news outlets to cover them and urging activists in other cities and states to follow suit. It should come as no surprise that the activists involved in organizing the protests are linked to a coalition based in Southern California that includes white nationalist, anti-Muslim and far-Right extremist groups.

These anti-immigrant activists gained notoriety after they blocked buses transporting Central American children who fled violence to Border Patrol processing facilities.

Twelve more Republicans learned last week that promising to support an anti-immigrant agenda does not help you win elections.

In April, the Federation for American Immigration Reform asked mid-term candidates, “Will you promise to protect American workers?” Keep reading and you’ll learn that what FAIR is really asking is whether candidates oppose “(1) amnesty; (2) increasing the number of guest workers; and (3) increasing the overall level of immigration.”

On Thursday, six candidates who signed FAIR’s pledge competed in five races. All of them lost. Two days earlier, in the eight primaries that featured pledge signers, six lost.

On August 2, anti-immigrant activists staged demonstrations at the offices of five members of Congress that they consider to be “pro-amnesty” ahead of upcoming primary challenges.

“We have a new and powerful American populist movement that is rapidly forming to save the nation,” Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) President William Gheen said in an email ahead of the planned demonstrations. “If we fail to sweep the 2014 Elections this could be the last ride of the Americans!”

Apparently, not enough people got Gheen’s message. All five members of Congress targeted by protests on August 2 easily won their primary elections last week.