California Coalition for Immigration Reform

California Coalition for Immigration Reform (CCIR) is a Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...

-based political advocacy group devoted to immigration reduction

Immigration reduction

Immigration reduction refers to a movement in the United States that advocates a reduction in the amount of immigration allowed into the country. Steps advocated for reducing the numbers of immigrants include advocating stronger action to prevent illegal entry and illegal immigration, and...

. According to the organization's website, its objectives are to "promote and expand citizen and legal resident awareness by a practical, effective communication network" and to "mobilize citizens and legal residents to support elected representatives and legislation" who favor immigration reduction.

Because of its officials' statements and positions on public policy, the Southern Poverty Law Center

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...

classifies the CCIR as a hate group

Hate group

A hate group is an organized group or movement that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other designated sector of society...

History

The CCIR was founded in 1994 by Barbara Coe, who has served as chairwoman of the organization ever since. Of Sioux

Sioux

The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

and European American ancestry, Coe was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...

in South Dakota. She was a police clerk. She was reportedly fired for using a department camera to photograph people she thought were illegal aliens. Coe is a member of the Council of Conservative Citizens

Council of Conservative Citizens

The Council of Conservative Citizens is an American political organization that supports a large variety of conservative and paleoconservative causes in addition to white nationalism, and white separatism...

, an organization that condemns racial integration, immigration by non-Europeans, homosexuality, and interracial

Interracial

Interracial is an adjective related to a supposed racial group. It can have different connotations in different contexts:* Interracial marriage is marriage between two people of different races....

marriage.

The CCIR was a co-sponsor of California Proposition 187 (1994)

California Proposition 187 (1994)

California Proposition 187 was a 1994 ballot initiative to establish a state-run citizenship screening system and prohibit illegal aliens from using health care, public education, and other social services in the U.S. State of California...

, which would have denied public services such as education to illegal immigrants. The proposition was approved by the electorate but overturned as unconstitutional by a federal court.

CCIR has sponsored billboards along the Arizona-California border that read, "Welcome to California, the Illegal Immigration State. Don't Let This Happen to Your State."

In 2006, a letter connected to Republican congressional nominee Tan D. Nguyen

Tan D. Nguyen

Tan Duc Nguyen was a two-time candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in California. In 2004, he sought the Democratic Party nomination to run against incumbent Republican Dana Rohrabacher in California's 46th congressional district...

, was sent to 14,000 Hispanic voters in Orange County. It warned that immigrants who were citizens could not legally vote and may be deported if they did, which was untrue. It was issued on what appeared to be CCIR letterhead. The letter prompted a state and Department of Justice investigation, as it appeared to be trying to dissuade a targeted part of the population from voting. Nguyen said his office had not authorized it. Coe condemned the letter and said her organization had no part in it.

In the spring of 2010, Coe apparently sent an email that was eventually posted to an anti-immigrant list serv, where non-supporters also read it. It was inflammatory, advising supporters to vote for a particular candidate and to "lock and load" and prepare for "the time of reckoning".

In a July 29, 2010 email to supporters, Coe questioned whether Muslim Americans could become assimilated into U.S. society, writing, "However, since muslims subscribe to the teachings of the Koran – which is to torture/kill all non-believers – how do you suggest we ‘Americanize’ those who want us beheaded?” Coe wrote, "My efforts will be to share the TRUTH about these cold-blooded terrorists, urge others to strongly OPPOSE the building of mosques [terrorist training camps], and urge SUPPORT of all efforts to get them DEPORTED to their country of origin where they can commit their barbaric Satanic acts at will.”

In 2001 the CCIR is listed as a hate group

Hate group

by the Southern Poverty Law Center

Southern Poverty Law Center

, which quotes Coe as having referred to Mexican immigrants as "savages".

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.