After years of proponents of Arizona’s controversial immigration law, SB 1070, arguing that the law is about enforcement and not race, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona is providing evidence that law may have been driven by anti-Latino sentiment.
Emails by former state Senator Russell Pearce, chief sponsor of the law, show an ideology against Arizona’s Latino community rooted in xenophobia and nativism:
“Can we maintain our social fabric as a nation with Spanish fighting English for dominance? … It’s like importing leper colonies and hope we don’t catch leprosy. It’s like importing thousands of Islamic jihadists and hope they adapt to the American Dream.”
“The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that’s two-and-a-half times that of non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the U.S.”
“Last week, Denver’s illegal aliens sang our national anthem in Spanish and bastardized the words of OUR country’s most sacred song.”
“Battles commence as Mexican nationalists struggle to infuse their men into American government and strengthen control over their strongholds. One look at Los Angeles with its Mexican-American mayor shows you Vincente Fox’s general Varigossa commanding an American city.”
“They create enclaves of separate groups that shall balkanize our nation into fractured nightmares of social unrest and poverty.”
As AZCentral.com reports, the emails sent by Pearce between 2006 and 2011 were obtained from legislative staff through a public-records request.
America is indeed being torn apart, but not by outsiders. Whereas some Americans are pushing for fairer immigration reform, others are stemming what they believe to be an invasion.
For the overwhelming majority of people on the right who share such beliefs, it’s not their fault. Conservative media paints a scene of hordes of squat, foreign-tongued mongrels surging across the Rio Grande — taking American jobs, filling American schools, draining American resources, assaulting American citizens, deforming American culture, and corrupting American democracy. By telling their audiences that the media is overrun with criminal-coddling liberals, conservative outlets ensure viewers and readers will remain desperately loyal — which also ensures that once the fire of racial animosity is ignited, the flames can be continually fanned.
But we are dealing with real human beings, on both sides of the border. Less we forget, America is and has always been a nation of immigrants. Our national character is defined by pilgrims sailing across a churning ocean and families traveling by wagon across an uncharted wilderness — always in search of more freedom and better opportunity. Each time, travelers were as unwelcome in their new homes as they were in their old.
How are the new immigrants any different than those of the past?
Americans must make an effort to understand these newcomers, because only understanding can extinguish the flames of fear and hate.
About Being Latino Contributors
Not surprised one bit.
we all know that….
stop the crap and get to the point. What is the freaking game? either shit of get off the pot feds. Send the National guard and have a Republican control. Have some balls like Kennedy did with George Wallace ,jailed the bitch of Brewer.
Jail
^ I know, we all knew it from the beginning. It’s just old info.
Was there some doubt?
As if there were doubt?
Can’t say I’m surprised..
Of course it’s racially motivated, and for obvious reasons, it’s not millions of blond haired Canadians trying to sneak across the border, do home invasions, deal drugs, commit gang violence, or sing the National Anthem in Spanish, amongst other horrible things. You can’t blame Arizona’s law abiding citizens, a grand percentage of Latinos also for being worried about the invasion that is going on and that the Federal Government refuses to contain. Sadly a lot of the things the former Arizona law maker says are true – why try to spin it or be in denial of the reality.
This just in…. Water is moist!
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/210/119/+_2acc5a8841f8752904d37f90a8014829.png
No surprise
Mmmmm hmmmmmm….
Seriously?!?! Come on! Isn’t everything racially motivated that the hispanic/latino community takes issue with? Isn’t “Que Viva La Raza” (“Long Live The Race”) the battle cry for the hispanic/latino community? Ironically being “hispanic” or “latino” have nothing to do with ones race. I often watch the news on Telemundo, Univision and other spanish speaking stations and every story is racially motivated. They make everything about “race”. The entire broadcast is peppered with words like “nuestra/mi genta”, “nuestra/mi raza”, “racismo”, “hispano”, “latino”, etc… This article is nothing more than the pot calling the kettle black.
I have a friend who is undocumented. He was pulled over by the police and was found to be driving without a license and no insurance. Drove himself to court… was ordered not to drive and was issued a fine… he paid his fine, got in his car and drove away. I have another friend whose family came to the U.S illegally… brought her when she was only 7… she’s now 26. 17 years ago her dad was arrested for a DUI. He didn’t show up for his court date and eluded the law for these many years. Long story short, he was pulled over by the police about one year ago and was arrested for the 17 year old warrant. My sister lives in a duplex and her neighbors are undocumented. It’s a husband and wife, 5 children… 3 of the kids live at home and attend public school. 1 other daughter is married and the other lives in Mexico… I should say LIVED in Mexico… About a mouth ago the family paid a coyote to bring their daughter to the U.S so that she can have her baby here… She gave birth 2 weeks ago. I personally know about 2 dozen girls/woman who came to the U.S. just to have their babies. A friend of mine has a neighbor who is also undocumented… She sells bootleg dvd’s outside a laundrymat in East Los Angeles. I was on an MTA bus once when a passenger got on and we started talking. He was telling me how he just got back from Mexico. I asked him if he was there on vacation… he laughed and said no… he had been deported for being undocumented. He told me he had been deported 5 times in a period of 2 years. He bragged how easy it was to sneak back into the U.S. As he said… “Aver quien se cansa primero”/”Let’s see who gets tired first.” I know several undocumented people that have valid Oregon Drivers License which they use to drive in Los Angeles. Apparently it’s really easy to obtain a Drivers License in Oregon. I have plenty of first hand stories to tell… too many for this format. I personally know many undocumented people who take advantage of our system and for the majority of them it’s all just a game.
The Arizona Law isn’t about racism. It’s about a state that can’t afford to continue to pay for that univited guest we’ve all had once in our lives. Who know the one… the one who shows up unexpected and takes advantage of our hospitality. There’s a word in spanish that I’m sure you’re all familiar with… “Encajoso.” Who doesn’t know someone who fits that bill. I know plenty who do. There’s also a saying in spanish that says “Es una cosa la confianza, y es otra cosa el encanche.” We have a situation not only in Arizona, but in the entire U.S. where there is a system that’s broken and foreign nationals who come to the U.S. illegally are taking advantage of it. You can’t deny that! It’s got to stop. The Arizona Law is definitely driven by anti-StopTakingAdvantageOfUs sentiment. Nothing more, nothing less.