Loading ...Anti-immigrant leader Dr. John Tanton of Michigan dies at 85
Dr. John Tanton, an ophthalmologist in Michigan who became an anti-immigrant leader criticized by civil rights advocates as being racist but praised by his supporters, died in Petoskey on Tuesday. He was 85.
Tanton established several groups calling for reduced immigration in the United States and his ideas have had a significant influence on the immigration debate, helping drive some of the immigration policies under President Donald Trump. He was described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as the racist architect of the modern anti-immigrant movement.
The president of a group he founded that calls for sharp reductions in immigration, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), said in a statement, “this remarkable giant of a man … passed Tuesday quietly in his home town of Petoskey, Michigan.”
“His leadership as an environmentalist, and as a population and immigration expert, has inspired thinkers and leaders in our nation for over half a century.”
Immigrant advocates said Tanton’s legacy can be seen today in current immigration policies.
“Most of the horrible ideas on immigration being implemented today originate from groups this man founded. History won’t treat him kindly,” Greg Siskind, an immigration attorney who is a member of the Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said Thursday.