In 1991, FAIR president Dan Stein said immigrants are "getting into competitive breeding"
Dan Stein, the longtime president of anti-immigrant hate group听Federation for American Immigration Reform听(FAIR), published a letter to the editor this week in the听Washington 笔辞蝉迟听claiming that he never said something he actually did say in 1991.听
In response to听笔辞蝉迟听columnist Dana Milbank鈥檚 article 鈥�?鈥� Stein wrote:听
Mr. Milbank claimed that I have 鈥渇amously uttered鈥� an offensive phrase about immigrants 鈥渃ompetitive breeding.鈥� For the record, I state unequivocally, once more, as I have for 25 years, that I have never, ever made any such statement. In fact, there is no entire quote available from me that contains that sentiment.鈥�
Stein added, 鈥淒on鈥檛 believe me? Find it.鈥澨�
Stein鈥檚 quote comes from a 1991 Albany听Times Union听article titled 鈥淚mmigrant Women Have More Babies.鈥� The news report reads:听
FAIR Director Daniel Stein argues that higher birth rates will give immigrants a disproportionate share of political power as their numbers increase in America.
"It's almost like they're getting into competitive breeding,"听he said. "You have to take into account the various fertility rates in designing limits on immigration."
Written by journalist Greg B. Smith, the听Times Union听article can be read in full听here. Reached over email, Smith, now a reporter at the听New York Daily News, confirmed the quote. 鈥淚f I wrote it, he said it,鈥� he told Hatewatch.听听
People For The American Way uncovered Stein鈥檚 comment in a听听detailing the extensive overlap between anti-immigrant groups like FAIR and the broader white nationalist movement.听
When Stein said immigrants were 鈥済etting into competitive breeding,鈥� FAIR was still receiving funding from the听Pioneer Fund, one of the most influential hate groups of the 20thcentury and a group founded with an explicit eugenicist mission. From the mid-1980s until 1994, FAIR accepted some $1.2 million from the Pioneer Fund.听听
FAIR is part of a constellation of anti-immigration groups created by population-alarmist-turned-white-nationalist听John Tanton, who once wrote "I've come to the point of view that for European-American society and culture to persist requires a European-American majority, and a clear one at that."听
Tanton, now in his 80s and suffering from Parkinson鈥檚 disease, was once prolific in executing a strategic vision for an organized anti-immigrant movement that today has reached new heights of influence under the administration of President Donald J. Trump.听
The attacks on sanctuary cities, refugee resettlement, the increase in ICE raids and the sidelining of DACA 鈥� all often justified with听听,听听and听鈥� are the fruits of this movement and its connections. Tanton鈥檚 vision of a 鈥淓uropean-American majority鈥� is shared by a president who prefers his immigrants from听.
Stein no doubt relishes this reversal in political fortune brought by the Trump presidency. 鈥淕etting out of bed these days is a lot more fun than it used to be,鈥澨齢e told听.
It now appears Stein thinks he can get away with anything, including rewriting his own ugly record.
