Anti-Amnesty Groups Prepare for Immigration Battle

Executive Director Roy Beck says support has only grown since his group defeated comprehensive immigration reform in 2007. Five years ago, the group had just over 300,000 members. Today its ballooned to more than 1.4 million, Beck says.Beck says his group’s greatest asset is not connecting lobbyists with hill staffers, but connecting concerned constituents directly with their elected officials. Part of what has made NumbersUSA such a major player in the immigration fight is the group’s ability to mobilize voters by micro-targeting and reaching out to remind them when their elected official is voting on immigration reform or coming to town.Beck says his group’s members have sent more than one million faxes to their elected officials in Congress, reminding them just how politically vulnerable they might be if they vote for a comprehensive immigration reform bill that includes a path to citizenship for some of the country’s 11 million illegal immigrants. And Beck warns this is just the beginning.”The momentum will gather once there are specifics. Right now the public resistance is strong, but you are not seeing the red hot outcry yet because you don’t have any legislation to come out against,” Beck says.”We expect to start running ads very soon in South Carolina calling attention to Sen. Graham’s positions,” Beck says. “Any member of Congress who is at odds with a passionate part of their electorate, there is a chance they can see some ads.”Beck sees his operation as the underdog fighting against the rush of money pouring in from the pro-immigration movement.”There is no way you can stand up against the businesses and the unions. We amalgamate one voter at a time,” Beck says. “We make it easy for them to get in touch so they can be heard.”NumbersUSA also scores members on their immigration record, which can be used during their reelections.http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/02/20/anti-amnesty-groups-prepare-for-immigration-battle?page=2By Lauren Fox in U.S. News