Finally Admitting to Xenophobia

The mayor and city council of Manassa's park are stating that the current anti-immigration movement in Prince William County consists of "vigilante actions against illegal immigrants." The Washington Post editorial even used the words xenophobia and nativism. Few newspaper commentaries do this.

Is the United States xenophobic? Are we nativists.... I believe many of us are... some with more virulent traits than others. Maybe the more we admit to what we really are, the sooner the viligante groups will die down and go away.

How many of the middle class good-thinking liberals really want the U.S. to become mostly Latino? They may be supporting human rights for immigrants, and like Mexican food.. but do they really want their home country to change? If you are one of these people, if you really care about immigrant human rights, write to your Congressman and Senator, talk to all your friends and explain to them that undocumented immigrants really do pay taxes, and that using the word "illegal" is offensive (few people seem to be aware of that). Better yet, read a little about globalization and migrating labor pools - spread around what you learned... you'll be surprised that people will really listen.

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Editorial
Washington Post
In Manassas Park, Sanity
Taking a stand against illegal-immigrant bashing
Wednesday, August 29, 2007; Page A16


THE LITTLE town of Manassas Park is an unassuming place -- not the sort of town you'd necessarily expect to take a courageous stand on illegal immigration. Yet that's exactly what it's done.

...Manassas Park is bounded on all sides by Prince William County, which has lately joined the nationwide rush to hound illegal immigrants by denying them public services and siccing the police on them in hopes of driving them away. Prince William's neighbor to the north, Loudoun County, has done the same. But Manassas Park, its diminutive size notwithstanding, is refusing to be bullied into joining in the immigrant-bashing.

Instead, the City Council has taken a stance opposing the nativist fever all around. The mayor, Frank Jones, and council members rejected what they characterized as vigilante actions against illegal immigrants. The danger, several said, was that all Hispanics would be tarred with the brush of intolerance and that the line between stalking illegal immigrants and whipping up a general hatred against Hispanics would blur. In a community where longtime residents know most of their Hispanic neighbors as good citizens, there was little sentiment for a xenophobic crusade.

For complete article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/28/AR2007082801608.html

cartoon: http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/jdo0864l.jpg