Anti-immigration hysteria holds 17M Latino voters hostage

[pedroh 21]

Is it getting stuffy in here or is it me? I've been like this for over a week now - since I watched the Democratic presidential debate last Tuesday, to be exact.

As soon as Hillary Clinton said she thought Gov. Spitzer's plan to issue special driver's licenses to illegal aliens "makes sense," I said to myself, holy guacamole, here it comes. Before everyone else on that stage was finished piling up on her, I was into a full-blown claustrophobic seizure.

Ay, Dios mio, this woman may lose the election over this! One more thing we're going to be blamed for.

But what made me lunge toward the window and stick my head out gasping for air was the horrific realization that Latinos have become the bogeymen of the 2008 presidential election - the Willie Hortons, the Welfare Queens and the Osama Bin Ladens, all rolled into one.

The unresolved illegal immigration issue has become the hot potato, the poison pill, the anthrax attack that's keeping many politicians from even asking us for our vote. We feel worse than lepers. Not even Mother Teresa, if she were running for a congressional seat, would dare campaign in the barrios.

Republicans have all but given up on us, and chosen not to attend the debate hosted by Univision or the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's forum a month ago.

Quite a difference from 2004 when, during the campaign, President Bush attended dozens of Viva Bush fiestas, where he spoke atrocious Spanish to the crowds while being serenaded by mariachi bands. He carried 40% of the Latino vote.

Since the comprehensive immigration reform debacle earlier this year, many Democrats have also been seen running for the hills. Not even an "Hola, amigos" on the way out of sight.

Only now has immigration become the overwhelming concern of the Latino community as a whole. Just before the 2004 presidential election, a Pew Research Center study ranked 11 issues Latino voters said would influence their vote. Education, jobs and health care were the top three. Immigration was dead last.

"In the last four years, restrictionists have managed to change the tone and message of the administration's discourse on issues important to Latinos," wrote Vanessa Cardenas in "The Unexplicably Uncourted Latino Vote," a Washington Post op-ed last month. "Nothing has been more alienating to the Latino community than the discourse around immigration reform." The result is that "all Latinos - including U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents - feel targeted."

Amen.

There's no doubt that next year, when issues of interest to 17 million Latino voters are surveyed again, immigration will climb up in the rankings. And that doesn't mean that everyone will be in favor of open borders or blanket amnesty or sanctuary cities or any other scary code words. (As if maintaining the status quo weren't a form of amnesty.)

For many Latino voters, getting riled up about immigration reform will be a matter of dignidad, of putting a stop to hateful discourse and, frankly, of changing the subject.

As a community, we've been put into a single-issue iron cage. We need to break free and get on with the program. We have children to educate, sick people to care for, an old war to end and a new one not to begin.

And we all need some fresh air.

http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2007/11/..._17m_latin.html

Edited November 13, 2007 by pedroh

[natty bumppo 297]

It's about illegals ... all illegals from everywhere.

If one group wants to be the victim ... well guess they are finding a place to happen.

[pedroh 21]

It's about illegals ... all illegals from everywhere.

If one group wants to be the victim ... well guess they are finding a place to happen.

Yes, I know it's illegals from everywhere, but always hearing that a high % comes from latino countries, makes it hard for some latinos.. and even if you're only talking about illegals, it's not easy to feel separated from them.. after all, the only difference is just a paper, and as it says in the articles "changing the subject.".. besides, you can't the deny the hate speech illegals get everyday..

Edited November 13, 2007 by pedroh

[tweety 1]

It makes me sick and tired to hear the equation illegal immigrant = Latino, just as sick and tired I am of the assumption that every immigrant is illegal.

Sadly the news coverage makes it look as if these assumptions are widely supported by the Latino community, as the above quoted article shows.

BTW, creating a special driver's license for illegal immigrants is ridiculous. What makes anyone think that someone who doesn't want to get caught by the federal system, would like to be "registered" within a US state?

[Ban Hammer 13,349]

It makes me sick and tired to hear the equation illegal immigrant = Latino, just as sick and tired I am of the assumption that every immigrant is illegal.

Sadly the news coverage makes it look as if these assumptions are widely supported by the Latino community, as the above quoted article shows.

BTW, creating a special driver's license for illegal immigrants is ridiculous. What makes anyone think that someone who doesn't want to get caught by the federal system, would like to be "registered" within a US state?

ditto

[pedroh 21]

It makes me sick and tired to hear the equation illegal immigrant = Latino, just as sick and tired I am of the assumption that every immigrant is illegal.

Sadly the news coverage makes it look as if these assumptions are widely supported by the Latino community, as the above quoted article shows.

BTW, creating a special driver's license for illegal immigrants is ridiculous. What makes anyone think that someone who doesn't want to get caught by the federal system, would like to be "registered" within a US state?

after hearing every day that 80% of illegals are latinos, and that latinos this, and latinos that, what are we supposed to think? it's not that easy to not feel something for your fellow countrymen, again, the difference is just a paper, and you can't not feel sympathy for them.. at least I can't.. besides, after the cases of ICE erroneously arresting legal latino residents (because they also had latino last names, so, why not?!) who happened to live in the same neighborhood where a raid happened, there's some trust issues there..

plus again, the hatin' latinos get.. why are there latino USC's who don't speak english, why this, why that? just a bunch of assumptions and stereotypes, that, people get tired of

Edited November 13, 2007 by pedroh

[Ban Hammer 13,349]

It makes me sick and tired to hear the equation illegal immigrant = Latino, just as sick and tired I am of the assumption that every immigrant is illegal.

Sadly the news coverage makes it look as if these assumptions are widely supported by the Latino community, as the above quoted article shows.

BTW, creating a special driver's license for illegal immigrants is ridiculous. What makes anyone think that someone who doesn't want to get caught by the federal system, would like to be "registered" within a US state?

after hearing every day that 80% of illegals are latinos, and that latinos this, and latinos that, what are we supposed to think? it's not that easy to not feel something for your fellow countrymen, again, the difference is just a paper, and you can't not feel sympathy for them.. at least I can't.. besides, after the cases of ICE erroneously arresting legal latino residents (because they also had latino last names, so, why not?!) who happened to live in the same neighborhood where a raid happened, there's some trust issues there..

plus again, the hatin' latinos get.. why are there latino USC's who don't speak english, why this, why that? just a bunch of assumptions and stereotypes, that, people get tired of

so you post an article that perpetuates this?

[Drew and Tik 0]

It's not just a piece of paper.

I don't really care about illegal immigrants "taking jobs" and think most of that argument is BS anyway. You have to be a USC to have my job and they check so I have little to worry about in that respect.

Illegal immigration is a security threat, that's why it needs to be stopped. If anyone, including criminals or even terrorists, can come into the country over our borders (north, south, and from the seas) and live here with nothing being done about it, then they can get away with literal murder.

I'm sure many illegal immigrants are just trying to make a better life for their families, and there should be an easier way for them to do this legally, but when people come here without documentation it is definitely a threat to our nations safety.

[natty bumppo 297]

It's about illegals ... all illegals from everywhere.

If one group wants to be the victim ... well guess they are finding a place to happen.

Yes, I know it's illegals from everywhere, but always hearing that a high % comes from latino countries, makes it hard for some latinos.. and even if you're only talking about illegals, it's not easy to feel separated from them.. after all, the only difference is just a paper, and as it says in the articles "changing the subject.".. besides, you can't the deny the hate speech illegals get everyday.

hummm ... there is a solution .. legals should tell fellow country persons they are makeing it hard for those that are here legally ... and illegals go home

[pedroh 21]

It makes me sick and tired to hear the equation illegal immigrant = Latino, just as sick and tired I am of the assumption that every immigrant is illegal.

Sadly the news coverage makes it look as if these assumptions are widely supported by the Latino community, as the above quoted article shows.

BTW, creating a special driver's license for illegal immigrants is ridiculous. What makes anyone think that someone who doesn't want to get caught by the federal system, would like to be "registered" within a US state?

after hearing every day that 80% of illegals are latinos, and that latinos this, and latinos that, what are we supposed to think? it's not that easy to not feel something for your fellow countrymen, again, the difference is just a paper, and you can't not feel sympathy for them.. at least I can't.. besides, after the cases of ICE erroneously arresting legal latino residents (because they also had latino last names, so, why not?!) who happened to live in the same neighborhood where a raid happened, there's some trust issues there..

plus again, the hatin' latinos get.. why are there latino USC's who don't speak english, why this, why that? just a bunch of assumptions and stereotypes, that, people get tired of

so you post an article that perpetuates this?

same as the other people posting 1000 articles every day about illegal immigration, and how they rape and kill..

besides, latinos didn't put those tags on themselves, haters did.. and why would we feel any different than latino illegals, after all we come from the same country(ies)..

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I think one of the reasons this issue resonates with people so much is because they see it. What they see is a sudden and widespread change in the nature of their communities and like all change, this change is frightening. They may dress it up in noble terms (like 'they broke the law') but IMHO it's really about their communities changing in a manner they do not want - and did not ask for. It's racism, but it's more. It's about being cut out of the decision making process by the elites. They decided our communities would be the way our communities are turning out to be, we didn't get to decide that. So while the racism element does exist (they are a 'visible' minority), the larger issue really is of control. Who controls our communities, and by extension our destinies? Do we? Or do the powers that be?

This issue has the potential to be a real populist firestorm.

[pedroh 21]

I think one of the reasons this issue resonates with people so much is because they see it. What they see is a sudden and widespread change in the nature of their communities and like all change, this change is frightening. They may dress it up in noble terms (like 'they broke the law') but IMHO it's really about their communities changing in a manner they do not want - and did not ask for. It's racism, but it's more. It's about being cut out of the decision making process by the elites. They decided our communities would be the way our communities are turning out to be, we didn't get to decide that. So while the racism element does exist (they are a 'visible' minority), the larger issue really is of control. Who controls our communities, and by extension our destinies? Do we? Or do the powers that be?

This issue has the potential to be a real populist firestorm.

yes, they see it, they see the raids, arresting neighbors, what gives you the security that they won't mistakenly arrest you, because you have the same last name as the people they 'targeted'...

[JODO 2]

This article is suggesting Hispanic equals pro-illegal immigration. That would be insulting to many of the law-abiding Hispanic Americans.

Edited November 13, 2007 by JODO

[Ban Hammer 13,349]

I think one of the reasons this issue resonates with people so much is because they see it. What they see is a sudden and widespread change in the nature of their communities and like all change, this change is frightening. They may dress it up in noble terms (like 'they broke the law') but IMHO it's really about their communities changing in a manner they do not want - and did not ask for. It's racism, but it's more. It's about being cut out of the decision making process by the elites. They decided our communities would be the way our communities are turning out to be, we didn't get to decide that. So while the racism element does exist (they are a 'visible' minority), the larger issue really is of control. Who controls our communities, and by extension our destinies? Do we? Or do the powers that be?

This issue has the potential to be a real populist firestorm.

oh brother the race card has been played already.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I think one of the reasons this issue resonates with people so much is because they see it. What they see is a sudden and widespread change in the nature of their communities and like all change, this change is frightening. They may dress it up in noble terms (like 'they broke the law') but IMHO it's really about their communities changing in a manner they do not want - and did not ask for. It's racism, but it's more. It's about being cut out of the decision making process by the elites. They decided our communities would be the way our communities are turning out to be, we didn't get to decide that. So while the racism element does exist (they are a 'visible' minority), the larger issue really is of control. Who controls our communities, and by extension our destinies? Do we? Or do the powers that be?

This issue has the potential to be a real populist firestorm.

oh brother the race card has been played already.

Race can't be discussed separately with his. The venom of the "anti-illegals" can not be explained by an impassionate love for the law.