Jingo All the Way

Outside groups leading the anti-immigration campaign in Arizona are trying to distance themselves from their own bigoted pasts.

A A A Comments By Tony Ortega Thursday, Dec 25 1997

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The persuasive nature of Roy Beck's lecture on population numbers suggests that a serious debate about immigration levels can and should occur. But with organizations such as FAIR making the major push for change in Arizona, it's questionable whether such a debate could take place without descending into immigrant-bashing.

FAIR's Rick Oltman in particular sees Arizona as promising opportunity. "Look at all the bullshit [attorney] Steve Montoya is stirring up about all the arrests in Chandler. Every charge he has made has been unsubstantiated to this point. . . . He's got people involved in his lawsuit [a $35 million suit against the City of Chandler] who weren't even there," Oltman charges, apparently unaware of Attorney General Grant Woods' findings.

Oltman says he hopes he can use outrage over the Chandler incident to FAIR's advantage. "Hopefully, this will affect the broad middle class. It's like California in 1993," he says, adding that he hopes Arizonans will blame problems in schools on increasing numbers of immigrant children.

While he has no plans to push for an Arizona initiative similar to Proposition 187, the one which proved so divisive in California, Oltman doesn't count it out. His immediate plans involve resurrecting the media campaign in January in an attempt to influence Arizonans, who he'd like in turn to pressure Arizona members of Congress.

If Oltman's experiences on Phoenix talk radio are any indication, he'll continue to find an eager audience. In one of several appearances on KFYI-AM radio, Oltman found a particularly avid fan in talk-show host Bob Mohan, who reminisced about his days in Georgia.

"I can remember living in Atlanta. Our downtown just about died because of the influx of blacks that came in, blacks and Hispanics," said Mohan.