Report: Ku Klux Klan raising U.S. profile

AMARILLO, Texas, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The Ku Klux Klan has raised its profile in many U.S. states, including Texas and Indiana, using anti-immigrant sentiment as an issue, a report said Friday.

The Klan has held rallies or distributed fliers in many U.S. cities during the past year, including Bloomington, Ind.; Amarillo, Texas; and Denison, Iowa, USA Today said.

The Anti-Defamation League, a group that fights anti-Semitism and racism, said in a report this week that the KKK has experienced "a surprising and troubling resurgence."

"They use this immigration issue to bring in others who feel like America is under siege," says Deborah Lauter, the national civil rights director of the ADL. "It's easy for hate to spread."

Mark Potok, director of hate group tracking at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the number of Klan groups around the country increased from 110 in 2000 to 179 in 2005, but decreased somewhat last year to about 150.