I have long shared your concern and have steered clear of FAIR and NumbersUSA as much as possible because their motives for being against illegal immigration are polar opposites of mine. That said, this man may be the father of the anti-immigration movement, but that is quite different from the anti-illegal immigration movement. The vast majority of Americans opposed to illegal immigration are concerned about upholding the rule of law and how they are being forced to subsidize the costs of illegal immigrants. They are also sick to death of the American worker being slandered ("jobs Americans won't do") and opportunities to work being taken from our teenagers and college students because illegal immigrants now make careers out of many of the jobs those groups would traditionally take to start out in the working world.
For instance, in California Proposition 187 passed overwhelmingly. A later initiative (Save Our State II or something like that), which corresponded to Tanton and his cohorts' goals, went down to defeat. Americans as a whole love and welcome immigrants, but we want them to love our nation and respect our laws.
They're trying to piggyback their agenda onto the illegal immigration issue. The worrisome part is that they have a fair amount of success.
They are also sick to death of the American worker being slandered ("jobs Americans won't do") and opportunities to work being taken from our teenagers and college students because illegal immigrants now make careers out of many of the jobs those groups would traditionally take to start out in the working world.
"Jobs Americans won't do" is inaccurate. "Jobs there just aren't enough Americans to do along with everything else that needs to be done" is far more accurate.
Their motives may differ but their actions are almost totally devoted to the illegal immigration problem. Like putting the wall before the amnesty I say back these people and worry about limits on legal immigration when (if) it ever becomes a problem on par with our invasion problem.