The Star’s readers deserve better about Kris Kobach and immigration

The rapid decline of integrity in American journalism couldn’t be better exemplified than in the recent decision by the editors to print an unsubstantiated, hateful and politically-motivated hit piece against Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

Kobach is a highly intelligent, talented and well-respected secretary of state who has worked tirelessly to ensure the enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws while protecting the credibility and sanctity of citizen voting.

Of course, mass immigration advocates will have a huge problem with these mainstream positions. Unfortunately, name-calling and defamation are easier for authors Guadelupe Magdaleno and Sulma Arias, who recently co-wrote a guest commentary on KansasCity.com, than making a coherent and persuasive case as to why non-citizens should be allowed to vote and why the nation’s immigration laws should be ignored.

The authors’ use of allegations based on charges by the Southern Poverty Law Center, or SPLC, should immediately raise a red flag. Many credible journalists have accused the SPLC of smearing other organizations for the purpose of its own fundraising. Charges against the SPLC have appeared in Harper’s magazine, The Nation, the SPLC’s hometown newspaper and The Montgomery Advertiser. Moreover, the incoherent and disconnected obscene allegations are presented in a manner that no reader could realistically corroborate.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, of which I am president, was another target of their vicious attack. In reality, FAIR is as mainstream an organization as there is.

FAIR has testified before Congress more than 100 times while being regularly sought out by the nation’s media for comment on all aspects of immigration laws. FAIR’s 1.3 million members and supporters hail from every conceivable racial, ethnic and religious background. Public opinion polls clearly demonstrate that FAIR’s positions on immigration control are widely supported by the public.

Over the years, FAIR has produced prodigious amounts of research about how mass immigration (legal and illegal) affects virtually every aspect of life in the United States. These include the effects of immigration on American workers, taxpayers, social institutions, the environment and national security, to name just a few. These reports are widely cited by lawmakers, journalists and other researchers.

While calling for reductions in overall immigration, FAIR has consistently opposed laws or policies that discriminate for or against immigrants based on immutable characteristics like race, religion, or national origin.

The Star Opinion department’s decision to allow this unfair and inaccurate criticism to be printed is both journalistically unethical and unprofessional. Your readers truly do deserve better.

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 2:58 PM with the headline "The Star’s readers deserve better about Kris Kobach and immigration."