The American Legion has recently come under attack by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has taken issue with The American Legion’s position on illegal immigration. SPLC’s tactics are varied and sordid. Their stock in trade is the labeling as hate groups those organizations with opinions contrary to theirs on issues such as, in this case, illegal immigration.

Groups opposed to illegal immigration and open border policies, such as the Center for Immigration Studies [CIS] and the Federation for American Immigration Reform [FAIR] are deemed hate groups by the SPLC. In their rhetoric the SPLC implies that The American Legion, through its sharing of information with these and similar parties is also a hate group.

The sources used by the SPLC to denigrate the position of The American Legion are purportedly beyond reproach, while sources referenced by The American Legion are cast by the SPLC as ignorant or racist. The opinions of The American Legion are deemed partisan by the SPLC while their facts, figures and opinions are peddled as unimpeachable.

The challenge to The American Legion’s position on illegal immigration came in July when representatives of The American GI Forum, a Hispanic veteran’s organization, and the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, met with The American Legion to discuss the booklet. Following that meeting, and others, the National Commander of The American Legion, in a spirit of cooperation and camaraderie, directed the headquaters staff to make a thorough review of the booklet, editing from it any inadvertent misstatements of fact and annotating sources where needed.

Unsatisfied with the National Commander’s offer, the American GI Forum, in a letter to the National Commander one week later, stated the intension to inform their annual meeting of The American Legion’s booklet and “it’s inaccuracies”, unless the Legion would assure AGIF that it “no longer subscribes to the strategy outlined in the booklet” The Commander responded:

“We have no intention of changing the crux of our position, which is this: The American Legion is opposed to any person or persons being in this country illegally, regardless of race, sex, creed, color or national origin. We believe the current laws governing immigration should be enforced impartially and equally. Period.”

The booklet has been edited and annotated and is currently undergoing review by organizations that The American Legion has partnered with on the issue of illegal immigration. When complete and a final edit is performed the booklet will be reprinted and re-released in the Fall of 2008.

It is worth noting that all mandated positions of The American Legion that deal with illegal immigration were reiterated at the 2008 National Convention of The American Legion at Pheonix, Arizona. These mandates, these positions that oppose illegal immigration in the United States remain the basis for the booklet, “A Strategy to Address Illegal Immigration in the United States.”