This letter seems to be perfect.

Thank you for doing this.

Great Work DMI!

Let's bring Lou Dobbs back into the fold. He used to be solid on the exporting of US jobs by corporations - it should be reasonable for him to take a position on immigration that connects that bad business practice to the harmful exploitation of immigrant labor.

If Lou is smart he'll have you on. His Exporting America series shows that he's capable of it.

I just posted on the letter at Emboldened. Great work, I look forward to seeing Dobbs' response.

FYI - I posted on your open letter at Emboldened.

If he knows what's wise, he'll start changing his tune.

http://www.prospect.org/horsesmouth/2006/05/post_20.html

from American Prospect. Looks like Dobbs is comming to his senses. Coincidence?

EXCLUSIVE: CNN RESPONDS TO STORIES ABOUT NETWORK'S USE OF WHITE SUPREMACIST GROUP AS SOURCE; STOPS SHORT OF APOLOGIZING. CNN has issued a statement to me about the network's use of the Council of Conservative Citizens, an organization widely seen as a white-supremacist group, as a source for a report by Casey Wian on Lou Dobbs Tonight about Aztlan, the part of the southwest U.S. that an alleged movement of Latino activists says rightfully belongs to Mexico.

The network stopped short of apologizing for the use of CCC as a source, though they described the incident as regrettable.

In response to my questions, CNN sent over the following statement from spokesperson Christa Robinson:

A freelance field producer in Los Angeles searched the web for Aztlan maps and grabbed the Council of Conservative Citizens map without knowing the nature of the organization. The graphic was a late inclusion in the script and, regrettably, was missed in the vetting process.

The network declined to go any further.

The whole fracas got started when blogs called Liberal Oasis and The Great Society noticed that CNN's report included a map which it attributed to the Council of Conservative Citizens. The CCC is a group that's been described by the Anti-Defamation League and many other sources as a white supremacist group formed to succeed the segregationist white Citizens’ Councils of the 1960s. Trent Lott took a bunch of heat for speaking before them a few years back, you may recall.

The tale quickly spread on the Net. Liberal Oasis demanded an apology, and Daou Report, Digby, and
Atrios all blasted away.

Anyway, CNN has now offered their explanation and response. Have at it, everyone.

--Greg Sargent

UPDATE: Media Matters has more.

I have two possibly stupid questions.
(1) If the map is accurate, what difference does it make where CNN got it?
(2) If the map is inaccurate, what difference does it make where CNN got it?

Immigrants are welcome in this country. All you have to do is apply for a visa and wait your turn.
Illegal immigration is not like a game of hide and seek whereas if you can sneak across the border without being caught your free to become a citizen. As our president said, " "Those who violate the law - including a member of Congress - should and will be held to account," Bush said. "This investigation will go forward and justice will be served." Maybe he didn't mean illegal immigrants.
Yes, anyone who exploits illegal immigrants should be punished.

Anon-
The map is non-sensicle as it invents a conspiracy by Mexicans to takeover the South West. This fake conspiracy was dreamed up by White Supremacists in an attempt to scare the public into believing that Mexicans are trying to take back the SouthWest. So the point isn't so much if the map is true or not but WHY the map exists.

This conspiracy theory promoted by the CCC has been widely debunked so the fact that Dobbs even claimed the conspiracy was true on his show is a problem. It means he is promoting a false conspiracy theory.

Wow, that's great! Be sure to let us know when you're going to be on his show.

Ann on
Anon's two questions were the same (basically) that came to my mind when I read the letter.
I'm not taking your word for it when you dismiss the Aztlan movement by blaming it on someone else.
I heard with MY OWN EARS and saw with my eyes a representative for Mexico admit to it on a TV program about 2 months ago. Aztlan was brought into the conversation. It was interesting to watch because he was going along just fine until another guest upset him. He got quite roiled and lost his cool, and responded with a statement saying the land belongs to Mexico. Interesting what one can learn when the public facade is yanked. He wasn't happy that it came out. If spokespeople for the country have that outlook, I'd be mighty careful about trust & truth.

Lets just make Mexico our 51st state then we won't have to worry about the border or illegal immigrants.

Oh Andrea, always starting trouble!

The economic impact isn't felt by non-profit organizations such as what you respresent. Grants and donations maitain your bottom line. No it is the small US businesses that suffer when larger companies import guest workers at lower pay to undermine the bidding of work.
You say immigrants pay taxes and put in their fair share of contribution to the US economy. Immigrants do, BUT!!! Illegal Aliens do NOT!!! They only come here to take what they can and for the most part export much of what they get back to their country of origin.
We also have at street level a perspective of which you do not see from your comfortable office and that is the import of extremely dangerous criminal street gangs, illegal drugs, sex slavery, animals, babies for sale, weapons, and organized crime.
The very will of the Mexican Government is to passively take back control of what they still concider to be theirs, Western United States, and they want us to pay for their efforts. You must be asleep at the wheel if you do not see this. People are scared to death to say anything becasue they fear the illegals will attack them in their homes and target their kids.
To most I speak to, they say that the enemy has been allowed to get a foothold in and amongst our own backyards. If we had an all out war break out, we would not even know where the front lines would be.
Illegal aliens are un-invited invaders. Whether they are here to better their own lifestyle or their families makes no difference. And through all of this the irony of it all is;
If someone you did not know, or even invite, and in all technicality you had a legal order of injunction against moved into your own home, started taking what they wanted never giving back in return, and demanding that they be given the same rights to ownership as you have, all without your permission, what would you do? Welcome them? Give them amnesty? Allow them to take up residence and issue them a copy of the deed to the property? Adopt them and give them your citizenship title? I THINK NOT!!!!
You see things from a pacifists viewpoint, we who out here working and defending this economy paying for your Grants and contributions in the real world do not have that luxury.
Now I have no doubt that racism is going to be used a pat responce to any topic that questions a different social cultures rights. That is getting old and worn out. Take the racism issue and file it in the history of things, because you are not dealing with someone who comes close here to being a racist. I was marching the picket lines for the NAACP all over the midwest. I was beaten by KKK members because they did not like what I stood for.
Did I also mention I was there at the ralley the day before Dr. Martin Luther King was shot. Oh and also did I mention I am a white Caucasion male? I was raised by parents who were have a serious history of civil rights standings. So do not wave your red flags of racism in my face in repsonce to what I know to be always used a crutch when no other defense of an ideology can be rationalized.
If you want to use this topic as a platform to show where contributors dollars are being used for, or to try and gain more financial support, try finding another topic.
I bet Dr. King would have more than a few words to say to you about the disguishing differences between what the people suffer verses illegal aliens sneaking into this country.
I personally have advocated a supportive roll in the establishment of a better World Wide Economy. Seeing the abusive tactics used by big business world wide long ago, I knew that one day all impoverished nations of the world would suffer greatly if the true corporate dream was to ever be achieved. Tyrranical Hiearchy is still alive and well in the corporate world. Unless Governments of the world can find a rational impass to balance the corporate greed with social interests, all will suffer.
Securing our borders, temporarily terminate any further legal immigration or guest worker programs, initialize harder enforcement of employers who hire illegals and or who harbor them, then start initializing a stronger secure national identity program. Then deport anyone left over who does not fall within the definition of the law that describes who is a legal US citizen. Then long term make it law that any corporation that exports work out side of the continental US will fall into a much higher tax bracket to compensate the nation for the economic impact loss fund which should be used to assist those communities impacted sustain themselves until a new enviroment of support can be re-established.

how do immigrant workers "play a critical role in our economy?" here in the Southwest, they took union janitorial jobs from African-American citizens; in the midwest they took union meatcutting jobs from white and African-American citizens; now they take jobs that our teens and low-skilled citizens used to do, and STILL do in those sections of the country that aren't yet overrun with illegal workers

I am totally oppoused to your position on ILLEGAL immigration. I am in favor of returning ALL ILLEGALS to their home country forceably.

I am a progressive democrat, and you are out of line. Lou Dobbs is 100% right regarding illegal immigration. I have not talked to one person who doesn't feel very strongly against illegals. I am shocked that unions that should be concerned about the middle class that is disappearing in this country are for amnesty. It didn't work before and it won't work now. Get your facts right!

I am baffled by your message regarding Lou Dobbs...I can only conclude that you have not heard him clearly...He has never been "anti-immigration", but does object to illegal entry into this country and I concur. Also, he favors border security, for reasons far beyond the circumstances being discussed here.....

I am baffled by your message regarding Lou Dobbs...I can only conclude that you have not heard him clearly...He has never been "anti-immigration", but does object to illegal entry into this country and I concur. Also, he favors border security, for reasons far beyond the circumstances being discussed here.....

Illegal is illegal.

1. Mexico has an entirely double standard regarding their southern border and they squeal about anybody here calling everybody racist and xenophobic who wants to protect their borders.

2a. Racism & KKK: Check out the La Voz de Aztlan web site. (These people aren't KKK) but Cienfuegos and the other writer from the Brown Berets is very racist and anti-semite. They compare themselves to the Palestinians. La Voz de Aztlan also had a picture of the Aztlan Map AND a picture of the Iwo Jima scene (but with Mexicans in sombreros raising the Mexican flag. Hmm.

Look at the A.N.S.W.E.R. and the Mexica Movement sites. The Mexica Movement doesn't call for Aztlan, they call for Anahuac (and assuming you're white)if they get their way, there's going to be no room for you either. According to signs or speeches and they assume everybody came from England-"You're a gringo/Go back to England."

2b: Oops, I almost forgot about the "DAY WITHOUT GRINGOS" in Mexico. (imagine if we had done a "Day Without Beaners or Wetbacks". Imagine the Howl arising from that).

3a. I saw online "La Gran Marcha" in L.A. in March. My oh my, you should seen what those signs said. Also all those Mexican flags and TURNING OURS UPSIDE DOWN OR REMOVING OUR FLAGS.

3b. THe only reason more U.S. flags were waved in future marches was because they were told by (certain radio hosts, etc) that they shouldn't look hostile to the U.S.
A. Wave U.S. flags.
B. Wear white t-shirts to look peaceful.
C. Bring your kids (same purpose)....So, they didn't do that out of the goodness of their hearts, but rather (for good ol PR).

4. More racism: Art Torres-White America's Last Gasp, or somebody else with: "We have an aging White America. We aren't making babies or "It's our Duty to Die." It's only a matter time, Mel Martinez-"There's too many white people in this room", etc, etc.

5. If Mexico is so darn great & spiffy, why aren't these people protesting en mass in Mexico with just as much hate and vitriol as they were in the U.S. ? Why aren't they protesting Vicente Fox instead of being all google-eyed over him?

Oh, I forgot to mention this, but if anybody tries to use the "Racist Card" on me, I married a Latino who was born and raised in the States and he also disapproves of what is going on.

As for this being a "conspiracy theory" dreamed up by White Supremists, Please look up:
La Voz de Aztlan, MEChA, A.N.S.W.E.R., LULAC, MAPA, La Raza & the Mexica Movement.

Also Nativo Lopez,Cienfuegos, Hector Carreon, Villaraigosa, Mel Martinez, Fabian Nunez, Art Torres.

These people aren't "White Supremists" by any stretch, but they can be every bit as racist.

Last comments:
1. The 1986 Amnesty did not work. Promises were made but never kept or enforced.

Now, the illegal population has exploded out of control. What's it going to be next time?

Why should we listen this time? We hear the same exact thing that was said before. (been there/done that).Now, they have grown arrogant, comparing themselves to the Martin Luther King situation.

It's also claimed: "They're Coming out of the Shadows."

So, I want to hear no more about "coming out of the shadows." When they can do what they did and have all those groups, foundations, Big Biz, the churches, the Mexican Government and our politicians all siding with them, I hardly think these people are even remotely "in the Shadows."

LET'S SEE: Speaking of Shadows......

I have MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) treated identically to those with Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome.

MCS turned out to be a "Politically Incorrect Illness" with a drug/pesticide/lobbyists/institutions/Washington connection.

So hense, the Chemical & pesticide companies had their way with lining Politicians' pockets, so we are an entirely (neglected and Discredited) group left to fend for ourselves with nobody to believe us.

Shoot, I wish we had the kind of help the illegals have and I wish we could march en masse (but, dealing with chronic fatigue/weakness and possibly being exposed to car exhaust, being down wind of smoke of any kind or perfume/cologne or (whatever their clothes were washed in/or Bounce was used with) unfortunately would wipe me out entirely making any type of attempt at marching useless.

That's why you won't usually see people protesting en mass when they are ill with GWS, AO or MCS. I wish I could though.

It is WE with GWS, AO & MCS who are "truly Living in the Shadows" with nobody to help us, nor does anybody care about us.

When you said the illegal alien are helping the economy you are not taking into account the fact that we are having to pay for there education and health care. If they are working off the books then they do not have health care, so they go to the emergency room. If they can?t pay the bill then our price of health care goes up. Also if they work off the books, then they are not paying income tax either. They only people they are helping is the rich that own the companies that is paying slave wages and keeping the extra profits for themselves.

Chris the whole point of DMI's argument is that companies need to be forced to treat undocumented workers like any other worker - that means paying them on the books. That means giving them health benefits if other workers get them. You are missing the whole point. DMI's whole thing is we need to stop corporations from exploiting all workers. Don't beat up the immigrants for being exploitable, they don't want to be exploitable, the messed up legal system is the reason they can be treated like that. Blame the lawbreaking employers that are creating that race to the bottom.

Regarding illegal imigrants, what is missing for me is a). How does one identify them, who does it and how long will it take and b) Once that is done how will they be deported (remember estimates of 10 million) and how long will it take?

This will be the largest forcible removal of people in history - Lou should step up and give us details of his plan.

You stated:
"1. Recognizing that the American middle class relies on the economic contributions of immigrants, the first part of the test holds that pro-middle class immigration policy should bolster - not undermine - the critical contribution that immigrants make to our economy as workers, entrepreneurs, taxpayers, and consumers." and I agree.

However, as someone who never misses Lou Dobbs' daily broadcast, I can tell you that he would agree with this too.

His concern is with "illegal" immigration. We all benefit from legal immigration. The lower and middle classes are damaged by "illegal" immigration.

If you watch Lou Dobbs, he is careful to point out when people are parsing their words incorrectly, and refer to "illegal immigrants" as simply, immigrants.

Senator Kenneday is the worst about confusing legal and illegal immigration in his speeches on the Senate floor, and makes no distinction between the two.

The distinction between "legal" and "illegal" immigration is the most important part of an intelligent debate about immigration and securing our borders.

I agree with Lois Palmer. I am also a progressive democrat, "...and you are out of line. Lou Dobbs is 100% right regarding illegal immigration. I have not talked to one person who doesn't feel very strongly against illegals. I am shocked that unions that should be concerned about the middle class that is disappearing in this country are for amnesty. It didn't work before and it won't work now. Get your facts right!"