Anti-immigrant groups go on attack to block ‘pathway to citizenship’

The groups — spearheaded by Numbers USA  and its combative president, Roy Beck —  have played a key role in blocking legislation that would open up a “pathway to citizenship” for  undocumented workers, according to lobbyists on both sides of the contentious issue.“Our goal is to stop this legislation,” said Beck, whose group is planning a series of ads aimed at pressuring senators who might be tempted to back immigration reform. “Every senator that is taking stands that are clearly against the interests of their citizens, their constituents are going to be reminded that there are elections.”Beck insists his group — with a $7 million budget and 1.3 million members — is growing “ by the day”  because of fears that the immigration measure will “flood this labor market with more foreign workers at the expense of our own Americans.” And he’s unabashed about what he wants to happen to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country:  “What they’ve done is not a victimless crime. They have hurt vulnerable Americans by being here by taking jobs, by taking taxpayer services. And I would say (to them), ‘You need to get your affairs in order and go back home.’”The political clout of groups like Numbers USA was most visible during last year’s GOP presidential primary, when Mitt Romney declared his support for “self deportation” of undocumented workers. Beck immediately hailed and claimed credit for Romney’s stance, asserting his group had been backing the same idea for years under a concept it called “attrition through enforcement.”Beck, who formerly worked for Tanton as an editor of his magazine, “The Social Contract,” said: “Numbers USA does not agree there is any kind of racial aspect to immigration. We’ve always been clear: Immigration should not have a racial impact, should not have an ethnic component.”Beck says Tanton’s letter was simply stating political reality – that “for 150 years, immigrants always vote, 2-to-1, Democratic, because the Democratic Party  is the bigger supporter of government services.”  He added: “The message to the Republicans is to go after the immigrant vote, you might want to consider whether it’s really worth driving down American wages, just so you can get cheap labor for your corporate contributors.” Beck said he was referring to corporate interests like the Chamber of Commerce and Microsoft, that have been lobbying hard for an immigration overhaul bill and which, he maintains, are vastly outspending the efforts on his side. “We’re up against every power elite in the country,” he said.http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/11/17693489-anti-immigrant-groups-go-on-attack-to-block-pathway-to-citizenship?liteBy Michael Isikoff and Carl Sears in NBC News