New Ad Campaign Targets Immigration
Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS), a nonprofit organization that promotes policies designed to stabilize the population of California and the nation, has released a new ad campaign along with its partners in America's Leadership Team for Long Range Population-Immigration-Resource Planning. The ads, running in major national publications, draw attention to America's water shortage. The print ad states that by managing population growth "driven almost totally by immigration," we can head off a water crisis.
CAPS is not the only organization publicizing immigration's effect on the environment. The Center for Immigration Studies as well as the Pew Research Center have released studies showing the link between immigration, population growth and its effect on the environment.
I'm concerned about the unintended affect that these types of ads and public studies might have on Americans. Immigrants have enough hurdles to overcome as they settle into this country. Will immigrants, even legal aliens who have managed to jump through all the hoops, end up facing discrimination because Americans have been told that our environmental issues are due in large part to the number of immigrants in this country? Imagine you are one of those immigrants: How do you feel knowing that the consequence of the American way of life that you've been dreaming about for years is a greater (negative) impact on the environment?
Placing blame on a particular segment of the population might make it easier to make difficult decisions about the future of that group when it comes time to decide policy changes. If immigrants are portrayed as the reason for our environmental problems, it's easier to condemn this segment of the population to gain support for stricter, low-immigration policies. Or is that the whole point?
Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Comments
Jennifer,
As a long time environmentalist I’m increasingly disturbed by the false claims of organizations like CAPS. Immigrants are not the cause of environmental degradation, greed and the refusal to take personal responsibility it.
This ad campaign by CAPS is nothing but an attempt to hide their anti-immigrant bigotry. I just found another interesting blog that goes into the background of CAPS. Very disturbing as it appears that they have a long ties to white supremacists organizations.
http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2008/08/14/ads-in-california-ask-environmentalists-to-consider-racism-2/
This is a great blog and keep shining the light of truth on these groups. All they do is damage the needed agenda of the real environmental movement.
I am in an elevator jammed to capacity. The cable above cannot safely lift more than ten people of average weight, according to engineering standards recorded inside. The lobby is similarly packed with people desperate to enter our compartment for a better experience on the roof with more room and fresher air. Just as we want to close the door a liberal, a cleric and a developer selling entrance tickets spot a lot of people of colour in the lobby. They charge me and others with racism for trying to obey the laws of physics. Welcome to the parable of the red herring and left wing McCarthyism. Paul Watson was once asked if he wanted to stop immigration to California because he didn’t like Mexicans. He replied that he didn’t care if California was 100% Mexican as it once was. So long as there were fewer Californians. It is about carrying capacity, and acknowledging limits. Not only limits to our appetites, but limits to our numbers. Too many people consuming too much. Deal with BOTH or you deal with NEITHER. Tim from British Columbia
Darryl’s post is an amusing tactic. He ignores the issue, that immigration is going to increase our population dramatically within our lifetimes. Instead he screams ‘racist’. Bravo. I think a debate lesson is needed.