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This is a thoughtful and well written post by a friend of mine from another message board. She is a moderate Democrat from San Antonio, Texas. I know her personally. This post is about our Hispanic population- the fastest growing minority in our country the last time I heard. I see that we do not have a forum here at DU for Hispanics which I find kind of strange, but I thought I'd post it here as it might be of some interest to you all.
Some would argue you can't call it racism because Hispanics are not a race unto themselves. Yet they are defined as an ethnic group and there is an unpleasant, growing hatred and exclusion of this group. Here in south Texas, there is a large population of Latinos who originated in Mexico. In San Antonio, Spanish speakers outnumber English speakers. Almost all find their roots in Mexico. But among whites, there is a growing disdain for Hispanics. I've heard the young Hispanic workers, who clean houses, mow lawns and do construction, be accused of being here illegally. It is just assumed so. And I see America in general becoming more chauvinistic and less willing to accept any immigrants into the country. But it is Hispanics who receive the most attention.
I admit I am a little put off when I use a government document that is printed in both English and Spanish. There is a part of me that says, if you use government services, you should at least speak the language. But then I think of my Polish grandmother who came to this country as a teenager, lived her entire life in a Polish community in Massachusetts and never learned English. She didn't have to. Her children learned English in school and translated all she needed to know or when interacting with others. I'm sure this situation exists for many immigrated Hispanics. To make English the official language of this country betrays the melting pot this country is. It turns its back on the millions of residents who don't speak English for one reason or another. And it is racist.
This country has become alarmist about illegal immigration. People actually think the border states are going to be taken over by Mexico. My mother listens to talk radio here, much of it conservative, though she is not conservative on most issues. However she is rabidly racist toward Hispanics. She told me she heard that one third of the population of California are illegal immigrants. She says all of the illegals coming across the border are criminals. And that they all carry their diseases over here. Tuberculosis is most cited. These alarmist and false statements are accepted as fact by many Americans. Mexicans coming across the border are to be feared. We don't want them here illegally or legally. This is a growing racist attitude.
I don't have a lot of answers to the problem of illegal immigration. I do think we need to do a better job of securing our border with Mexico. I also think the president shouldn't be in bed with our good friend Vincente Fox. The deplorable conditions in Mexico are what chase their poor over into the US. My mother says they all come here to get Social Security. I am baffled as to how someone here illegally can collect Social Security. Maybe I am naive. I don't think illegal immigrants have a cushy life here. I think they live in constant fear of being deported. I think they only use our social services when absolutely necessary. Every time they have to produce documentation of their citizenship they run the risk of being caught.
I don't like this ugliness toward Hispanics that is growing in this country and perpetuated by news commentators like Lou Dobbs who has made it his personal mission to eliminate all illegal residents and to see to it that they don't receive any assistance in becoming legal residents. I commend Bush for making an attempt to assimilate illegal aliens into our country. However I think it falls short and I don't think many illegals will sign up for a program that will send them back home in couple of years. It's just a trick to identify and document those who are here illegally. I don't see this problem going away any time soon. I think it will continue to be a thorn in the side of future presidents and those congressmen and women who are up for reelection. I just wish this country could be a little more sympathetic for the desperation Mexicans and other Hispanics feel to get to this country with hopes for a better life.
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