The Southern Poverty Law Center Manipulates Crime Data and Terminology in
Last-Ditch Attempt to Stop the Immigration Debate, Asserts the Federation for
American Immigration Reform
WASHINGTON, March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is
being issued by the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Today the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) issued a misleading release
announcing a significant increase in the number of hate groups and hate crimes
over the last few years. The release then suggests that our national debate
over immigration reform has fueled the increase in both. Offering no criteria
as to what constitutes a hate group, manipulating the data for self-serving
purposes, and then making broad, unsubstantiated conclusions, this latest
release from the SPLC constitutes one of its most reckless charges to date. It
is calculated to be inflammatory, tarnish the reputation of leading
immigration reform groups, and shut down meaningful public policy debate about
immigration reform.
When examined responsibly, the FBI hate crime data show a dramatically
different story than the one the SPLC portrays. First, in order to suggest an
artificially large increase in the raw number of hate crimes, the SPLC selects
2003 as its base year, one of lowest years on record for hate crimes against
Hispanics. If one compares the number of hate crimes between 1995 (the
earliest report available on the FBI's website) and 2006 (the most recent
statistical year available), one would see that the number of hate crimes has
increased only 17 percent.
But even this is not the whole story. The SPLC conveniently forgets to
index the raw hate crime data with the population, a step always taken by the
FBI to more accurately depict an increase or decrease in crime. Thus, when one
indexes a 17 percent increase in hate crimes against Hispanics with a 67
percent increase in the Hispanic population between 1995 and 2006, it becomes
clear that the rate of hate crimes against Hispanics has in fact dropped
dramatically -- by about 40 percent.
This reduction in the rate of hate crimes against Hispanics is even more
apparent when one considers that the number of law enforcement agencies that
participate in the FBI's hate crime data collection program increased 33
percent between 1995 and 2006. Between 2003 and 2006 alone, the number of law
enforcement agencies participating in the FBI's hate crime data collection
program increased by over 700.
Finally, the SPLC claims that there has been substantial growth in the
number of "hate groups" since 2000. However, the SPLC provides no definition
of a "hate group" and offers no objective criteria that it uses to classify
organizations as such. The SPLC appears to think that it can stick this label
onto any organization it wishes, including long-standing, highly-regarded
immigration reform organizations such as the Federation for American
Immigration Reform (FAIR) without being challenged as to its motivations or
methodology. FAIR is confident the media and the American people will see
through the SPLC's deceitful tactics.
"There is no level of hate crime that is acceptable -- period," says Dan
Stein, President of FAIR. "However, the SPLC's calculated abuse of the term
'hate group' and manipulation of hate crime data for self-serving political
interests is an affront to hate crime victims and those who advocate on their
behalf. The SPLC manipulates data to reach deceitful conclusions, tosses the
term 'hate group' at highly-respected organizations like FAIR, and then mixes
the two in an attempt to stop our national debate over immigration reform. But
this is consistent with the SPLC's growing practice of making allegations with
no factual basis, no criteria and sadly, no one challenging their increasing
habit of playing fast and loose with the facts. Unfortunately, it is the
American people who suffer most through this irresponsible behavior."
ABOUT FAIR
Headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., FAIR is the largest,
oldest and most respected immigration reform group in America. With over
250,000 members, FAIR advocates for non-discriminatory immigration polices
that protect American jobs, wages, the environment, and national security. As
a bipartisan organization free from special interest influence, FAIR is
regularly sought by Congress and the media for its objective analysis and for
its fair, practical and effective policy solutions.
SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform
Bob Dane of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, +1-202-328-7004
