SIERRA CLUB MEMBERS REJECT ANTI-IMMIGRATION RESOLUTION

Members of the Sierra Club, the 550,000 member environmental organization, have voted down an initiative that would have supported a policy to limit immigration into the United States. Instead, members chose by a 3 to 2 margin to continue the organization’s 22-year neutrality policy on immigration.

Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope praised the outcome. “This is a resounding defeat for a misguided policy,” said Pope. “Through this vote, our members have shown they understand that restricting immigration into the United States will not solve the environmental problems caused by global overpopulation. Our mandate is clear. Our members want us to get to our real work - fighting pollution, cleaning up our air and water, protecting our wild lands and wildlife, and reducing global overpopulation.”

There were many others who denounced the vote claiming that a blow had been dealt to the environment. “This is a vote against the US environment,” said Maria Sepulveda, Director of the non-profit group Population-Environment Balance. Sepulveda blasted the Sierra Club’s Board saying that the “Sierra Club leadership made it impossible for grassroots members to have an open discussion about the connection between immigration, population and environmental degradation.” Population-Environment Balance supports a five-year moratorium on immigration.

Many consider the measure to be the most controversial in the Sierra Club’s century-long history as evidenced by the fact that more than 1,000 members resigned over the issue.

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