Immigration Law

IS CIS REALLY NON-PARTISAN?

By Greg Siskind

On the web site of the anti-immigration Center for Immigration Studies, the organization's mission is listed prominently:

The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit research organization founded in 1985. It is the nation's only think tank devoted exclusively to research and policy analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States.

So why is CIS Executive Director Mark Krikorian openly pushing for GOP candidates in his National Review contributions. I follow local politics here in Memphis and last night there was a major upset where a Democrat won what should have been one of the safest Republican seats in the country. In reading news coverage of the meaning of the race, I found this statement from Mr. Krikorian at the National Review web site:

We Are Totally Frakked   [Mark Krikorian]

If the GOP can't hold on to a House seat in the Deep South that Bush won by 25 points, it's going to be 1974 all over again. I'm just hoping that Rahm Emanuel has recruited enough pro-sovereignty, Heath Shuler-style Dems so that we can head off amnesty. But even if that happens, next year is going to be bad on taxes and other issues.

Does this sound non-partisan to you? The use of the word "we" (twice) sure makes it sound like CIS is openly siding with the GOP. Lest you think this is just Mr. Krikorian's private opinion, he has an email link that goes to his CIS.org email address. And given the topic of the post is immigration, any argument that Mr. Krikorian is not speaking for CIS rings very hollow.

Now I'm no expert on non-profit law, but I always understood that promoting political candidates was absolutely taboo and could jeopardize your non-profit status. And it looks like my understanding is correct according to the gurus at nonprofitexpert.com:

Political Campaign Activity
 

                      Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any        political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.  Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity.  Violation of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise tax. 

I'm just saying....

Full post as published by Greg Siskind's Blog on May 14, 2008 (boomark / email).