最新杏吧原创

JEFFERSON CITY 鈥� Missouri Republican lawmakers who visited the U.S.-Mexico border last month are coming under fire for working with a group that鈥檚 spurred controversy because of its stance on immigration.

The , which helped arrange the tour of the border in Texas for Missouri House and Senate members, has been designated a 鈥渉ate group鈥� by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In , SPLC points to past statements by the group鈥檚 now-deceased founder, as well as its current president, expressing what it characterized as anti-immigrant views.

While the lawmakers鈥� trip didn鈥檛 generate much attention at the time, Democrats are now criticizing Republican legislators for associating with the group, also known as FAIR US.

One Democrat tried to connect his Republican opponent 鈥� who took part in the border trip 鈥� to the neo-Nazis who demonstrated Saturday on the Mason Road overpass over Highway 40 (Interstate 64).

Democrat , running for the Town and Country-based 89th House District, said in a news release that 鈥渢he seeds of the hatred that occupied Mason Road on Saturday are on full display in the political sphere.鈥�

He said extremist state legislators 鈥渁re pushing an agenda that dehumanizes our neighbors鈥� before going on to mention his GOP opponent for the seat, Dr. .

Morse accused Hruza, a Jewish immigrant from the former Czechoslovakia, of traveling out of state 鈥渢o support a hate group and attend speeches by a federal civil rights violator and others.鈥�

In reference to the civil rights violator, Morse said he was referring to Sheriff Terry Johnson of North Carolina, who took part in an event with legislators and who was by the Department of Justice for routinely discriminating against and targeting Latinos.

In response, Hruza said Tuesday, 鈥淚鈥檒l call that total nonsense 鈥� tying those things together.鈥�

鈥淚 saw the videos. I was just as disgusted and shocked by the videos,鈥� Hruza said of the Saturday incident on Mason Road.

Hruza said the neo-Nazi demonstrators had more in common 鈥渨ith the pro-Hamas protesters than they certainly have with anybody on the Republican side.鈥�

As for the trip to the border, Hruza said he went because he wanted to see the situation first-hand.

鈥淚 found the experience informative,鈥� Hruza said.

He said the group spoke with Border Patrol agents, with Texas Department of Public Safety and a group of Texas volunteers that help the DPS and Border Patrol.

鈥淭he border is now a humanitarian crisis,鈥� Hruza said. 鈥淲hat we saw is what that looks like.鈥�

State Rep. Jim Murphy, R-south 最新杏吧原创 County, said in a post on Facebook that more than 30 鈥淢issouri colleagues鈥� accompanied him on the trip, including Hruza.

Other 最新杏吧原创-area attendees included state Sen. Nick Schroer of Defiance; and state Reps. Travis Wilson of St. Charles; Mark Matthiesen of O鈥橣allon; Wendy Hausman of St. Peters and Tony Lovasco of St. Charles County.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, in classifying FAIR US as a designated hate group, says the group鈥檚 sole aim is to severely limit immigration to the United States.

鈥淎lthough FAIR maintains a veneer of legitimacy that has allowed its principals to testify in Congress and lobby the federal government, this veneer hides much ugliness,鈥� the law center says.

John Tanton, an environmental activist who had once led the group Zero Population Growth, founded FAIR in 1979.

In the 1980s he warned of a 鈥淟atin onslaught鈥� and also corresponded with Holocaust deniers, a former lawyer for the Ku Klux Klan and leading white nationalist thinkers, the SPLC said.

SLPC also references comments by current president Dan Stein, who has called the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 a 鈥渕istake.鈥�

Murphy, the South County lawmaker who led the trip, defended FAIR US in a recent interview.

As for the founder of the group, Murphy says Tanton was 鈥渢ied up鈥� with the Sierra Club and 鈥渁 lot of different things.鈥�

鈥淚 guess back in the 鈥�60s, they claimed he was a racist or something. That has nothing to do with this group today,鈥� Murphy said.

On its website, FAIR US says it seeks to 鈥渞educe overall immigration to a level that is more manageable and which more closely reflects past policy.鈥�

鈥淩educing legal immigration from well over one million presently to 300,000 a year over a sustained period will allow America to more sensibly manage its growth, address its environmental needs, and maintain a high quality of life,鈥� the group says.

Hruza said he disagrees with that.

鈥淚 went there (to the border) more on a fact-finding mission, not in terms of somehow supporting or in some way agreeing with this鈥� organization鈥檚 views, Hruza said.

鈥淚 stand by supporting robust increased legal immigration,鈥� he said.

__________

Updated: On Wednesday, after this story was published, Democrat Kyle Kerns, who is running against Murphy in the 94th district, issued a statement that said he was 鈥渁ppalled that a sitting state representative spoke at an out-of-state publicity stunt hosted by a hate group.

鈥淎nyone that wants to serve the 94th District should respect all people who live and work here聽鈥� no matter their background. If Jim Murphy is proud to stand with a group like FAIR that promotes such extremism, he has no place representing our community.鈥�