ICIRR

Media Matters Action Network undertook this study in order to document the rhetoric surrounding immigration that is heard on cable news. When it comes to this issue, cable news overflows not just with vitriol, but also with a series of myths that feed viewers' resentment and fears, seemingly geared toward creating anti-immigrant hysteria.

Nativism in the House:
A Report on the House Immigration Reform Caucus

About This Report

"The immigration debate has turned ugly and the result has been a growth in white supremacist hate groups and anti-Latino hate crime.

Many Americans wonder why undocumented immigrants do not come to the U.S. legally or simply “get in line” to get residency (a “green card”). In fact, the U.S.

The forces seeking to sharply reduce the number of immigrants coming to America won a stunning victory last June, when nativist anger at an "amnesty"

Center for American Progress

Know Your Sources: The Mainstream Press Keeps Finding Wacky Immigration "Experts"

By Henry Fernandez
September 19, 2007

Summary of Report Findings

The Ku Klux Klan, which just a few years ago seemed static or even moribund compared to other white supremacist groups such as neo-Nazis, has experienced a surprising and troubling resurgence due to the successful exploitation of hot-but¬ton issues, including immigration, gay marriage and urban crime. The Klan has, in particular, exploited fears of an immigration explosion, and the debate over immigration has, in turn, helped to fuel an increase in Klan activity, with new groups sprouting in parts of the country that have not seen much activity.

CNN anchor Lou Dobbs has been a high-profile voice in the immigration debate, using his show to rail against the country's "broken borders" virtually every evening on Lou Dobbs Tonight.