Tell me again; how is the immigration issue not about race?

Over and over, those who oppose comprehensive immigration reform and a path towards legalization for the 12 million undocumented immigrants already living and working in the US assert that that the debate has nothing to do with race, but rather, respect for the law or economics. From Tancredo and Dobbs to the average citizen on the streets, those who favor an enforcement only policy decry the very thought that they have anything against immigrants, Hispanics or Mexicans in particular. Anyone who even questions the motivations for their policies is quickly rebuffed for "playing the race card."

A few stories from today's headlines can only make one question either the naiveté or honesty of their assertions.

tags: immigration, Border Patrol game, racism, white supremacists, anti-immigrant

Latino politicians receiving threats
Lieutenant governor, mayor of Los Angeles targets of hate amidst immigration debate

Prominent Hispanic elected officials, including the mayor of Los Angeles and California's lieutenant governor, have received threats in the midst of a heated national debate about immigration policy, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday.

"There's something very important that I need to speak to my fellow Californians about," he said. "It has come to my attention that our Lt. Gov. Bustamante and our Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa and other elected officials of Mexican heritage have received disturbing and hateful death threats."

Bustamante spokesman Steve Green said the lieutenant governor appeared at some immigration rallies with Villaraigosa at the end of March and received "nasty e-mails" afterward. The threat came about three weeks ago on a blank postcard, he said.

"We got one postcard from Pasadena that said words to the effect,"'All you dirty Mexicans should go back to Mexico. The only good Mexican is a dead Mexican,'" Green said.

He said the threat was forwarded to the California Highway Patrol, which declined to comment.

Associated Press

Schwarzenegger also discussed another disturbing story where a Mexican restaurant in San Diego County was set on fire in what was believed to be a racially motivated crime.

The fire at a restaurant in the eastern San Diego County town of Jamul occurred April 10, the day after an estimated 50,000 people marched during a pro-immigration rally in downtown San Diego, but sheriff's officials didn't cite a connection.

Obscenities were spray-painted in red on the front door, on a poster advertising NASCAR events and on the side wall of Mariachi's Mexican Bar and Grill, sheriff's officials said. Investigators determined that gasoline or another accelerant was used to set the fire, which caused about $10,000 damage.

Mercury News

Lastly we have the story of a flash-based video game that's spreading through internet via e-mail called "Border Patrol". The object of the game is to kill as many "wetbacks" as possible as they scramble across the US border. The targets included: 'Mexican Nationalist,' 'Drug Smuggler,' and 'Breeder' (pregnant woman with two small children).





NBCSanDiego

( if there's any doubt as to who is behind this game, note the Star of David on the flag. This is typical iconography of the neo-nazi and white supremacist hate groups to represent "Jewish" control over US policy.)

A quick google search turns up hundreds of sites offering the game, and a look at the comments section at gamers sites show that many feel there is nothing wrong with the game whatsoever.

5. Frankly, I don't see this game as "racist" at all. No more than "kill the Cubans" or whatever in GTA. Shooting immigrants that come over the border by some is considered a ligitimate solution to our border security problems. It is not "racist" to enforce US laws. Naming the types of border crosses is more like stereotyping, not racism. It seems that the three kinds of boarder crossers described in the game pretty accuratly reflect the realities of people's motivations for illegally crossing. That is not "racist." As a whole most Americans DO want to clamp down on ILLEGAL immigration. We have nothing against immigrants. But the US is a nation of laws, and it is not right, in my opinion, to reward those who break the law. American politics and policy should not be at the whims of a group of people WHO AREN'T even citizens, or even legal residents in the country, as is happening now. This game just happened to find its way into some liberal jerkwad's inbox. I find his attitude and lack of thick skin about people's freedom to express themselves a much greater danger to society than some stupid flash game.

Posted at 7:08PM on Apr 19th 2006 by jp007 0 stars

11. I love this game!!!

And no... I don't like Mexicans!

Posted at 7:20PM on Apr 19th 2006 by Deustchland 0 stars

31. I love this game but all you idiots obviously forget something called freedom of speech. The one who made this movie has every right to make it just like the KKK and black panthers have the right to march in the streets along with the illegal immagrants protesting saying they should have the right to do what they want in our country. And anyone who says illegal aliens should have any rights in our country ARE IDIOTS! They are no citizens, they robed your rights to come here and probably helped bring in drugs. but im sure you're all abunch of liberal drugies who want more. You people are the ones that need to be shot. but im sure joystiq will delete this cuase liberals only believe in rights and freedoms for themselves.

Posted at 8:01PM on Apr 19th 2006 by Josh 0 stars

Add to these stories, the recent immigration raids, the building of internment camps for undocumented immigrants and the rise of hate speech and a very disconcerting pattern begins to appear.

When it has reached the point where people can argue that this kind of obviously racist propaganda is OK, that businesses are set on fire as a means of intimidation and political leaders receive death threats because of their race, can anyone argue that the immigration debate has not only brought out the worst racist tendencies in the American people, but is in fact fueled by, and fueling them.

Here's a simple test: go back to the beginning of this story, every time you see the word Latino, Hispanic, Mexican, illegal immigrant, "wetback" etc. ... replace it with the word "Jew" and think Germany circa 1935 ... sound familiar. Is this how a nation slowly slips into a state of unimaginable evil? One small step at a time?

Now tell me again; How is the immigration issue not about race?