New York, NY, June 7, 2018…The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today strongly criticized the participation of Tom Homan, the acting director of ICE, at an event hosted by the extreme anti-immigrant group, Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). On Tuesday morning, Homan spoke at an “Immigration Newsmaker” event hosted by CIS, despite the requests by many elected officials and community members to cancel the appearance to avoid association with this extreme anti-immigrant group. Homan’s participation in the event comes in the wake of the troubling nomination of Ronald Mortensen, a current fellow at CIS, as assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. The League has written to members of the Senate to reject the Mortensen nomination.
ADL Vice President for Government Relations, Advocacy and Community Engagement Erika Moritsugu issued the following statement:
We are extremely disturbed that ICE Acting Director Homan participated this week in an event hosted by CIS, an extreme anti-immigrant organization with deep, longstanding ties to racists. Homan’s decision to participate in the event lends further unwelcome credibility by this administration to a group which has long been part of the extreme anti-immigrant movement in the United States. CIS consistently promotes the false narrative that immigration has a detrimental impact on American society and has often circulated articles penned by white nationalists.
At a time where the announced official policy of the Administration is to target immigrants and refugees and separate families seeking refuge and a better life, Homan’s inappropriate participation in this event threatens to further embolden extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric and sentiment. This sends a chilling message to vulnerable communities across the country.