Oregon Legislator Heads 'Hate Group,' Civil Rights Advocates Say

CORVALLIS, OR — One of the Oregon state representatives spearheading the effort to pass Measure 105 to repeal Oregon's 31-year-old sanctuary statute has been revealed as the vice president of an anti-immigration organization described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as "Oregon's anti-immigrant hate group."

Rep. Mike Nearman (R-Independence) was identified last week as VP of Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR) in an article published by Benton County-based alt-weekly The Corvallis Advocate. While the organization's name may seem benign enough, a deeper look into its workings reveals an organization built upon a foundation of racism, eugenics, and — in some cases — blatant xenophobia.

Nearman reportedly denied being the organization's VP when asked about it last week for the Advocate's piece, but an article in The Daily Beast posted Tuesday quoted the group’s communications director Jim Ludwick confirming Nearman as its vice president — which he apparently has been since March 2017.

Calls to Nearman's office in Salem to clarify the confusion were not immediately returned.

On the face of it, Nearman's association with the group makes sense given the congressman's history of publicly advocating for immigration reform. But a deeper examination of the organization's history and current affiliations has caused concern among some observers. Adding to the collective consternation of conservatives is the revelation that this is just the latest entry on a growing list of politicians nationwide found to have ties to known racist and white supremacist groups, or who are at least fanning the flames of division predicated on race or ethnicity.

As described by The Daily Beast, OFIR was founded in 2000 by prominent anti-immigrant activist John Tanton, whose history in politics includes the establishment of numerous anti-immigrant groups and the advocacy of eugenics — the idea of controlled breeding of humans to maintain desirable heritable traits. Perhaps unsurprisingly, eugenics was a prominent Nazi platform in the early part of the 20th century.

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OFIR, for its part, does not explicitly support eugenics on its website. In fact, OFIR explains it does not view immigration as "an attack on American sovereignty" at all, but rather an issue that simply must be managed responsibly to limit "the environmental, economic, and societal consequences of mass immigration into the United States."

Yet its partnerships with known anti-immigrant extremists and white nationalist political action groups mar the organization's seemingly sound mission to secure the country's borders and maintain economic equilibrium.

And in direct contrast to OFIR's mission statement, its president, Cynthia Kendoll, in 2014 told Willamette Week reporters: "We are told all the time that people come here and want to become Americans … I don't think they're interested in becoming U.S. citizens. It's just an organized assault on our culture."

SEE ALSO: Oregon Sheriffs Split Over 31-Year-Old Immigrant Sanctuary Law

Nevertheless, the group's controversial history and current stance on immigration have gotten the attention of the SPLC, which in April 2018 published its report on OFIR, stating in part: "For almost two decades OFIR has demonized immigrants while working closely with nationally recognized anti-immigrant groups and figures. OFIR’s co-founders and current leadership also have longstanding ties to hate groups and a history of making racist statements."

In its article, "Meet Oregon’s anti-immigrant hate group: Oregonians for Immigration Reform," SPLC researchers zeroed in on Kendoll's litany of controversial comments and affiliations, which reportedly include several appearances at events and lectures put on by various organizations also described as hate groups by the SPLC.

Yet the SPLC's article did not identify Nearman as the group's VP, which he was when the group published its article in April. Instead, the SPLC identified Richard LaMountain — a figure just as controversial as Kendoll — as the group's VP. LaMountain, the SPLC said, has contributed writings to various anti-immigrant, white nationalist publications.

Articles from The Corvallis Advocate, The Daily Beast, Willamette Week, and the SPLC make a case not only against OFIR, but the idea that hate groups of any kind should have no place in the nation's political battles as an influence or motivator.

Since it's entirely unlikely that will change before November, it will simply be up to each discerning Oregonian voter to make their choice on whether to support or oppose Measure 105 based on the true intentions and motivations of the groups and individuals advocating either way.

Image via OregonLegislature.gov