Immigration and Prejudice

With the signing into law by President Bush of an immigration reform law that authorizes the construction of a massive "security fence" stretching 700 miles along the US-Mexican border (along with a slew of high-tech border surveillance measures), the heated debate over immigration is reaching new levels. These new measures, intended to stop the flow of undocumented or "illegal" immigrants into the US, could cost anywhere between $2 billion and $9 billion, however money has not yet been appropriated by Congress for the construction of the fence.

In the past year, immigration has arisen as such a heated issue within the US that numerous conservative politicians have based their campaign platforms on their dedication to completely stopping the influx of immigrants from Mexico. That this issue was arbitrarily brought to the fore in the national consciousness by the prodding of Republican leaders (who suddenly cried that immediate action was necessary to stop the destructive influx of "illegals"), and that it conveniently serves as an excellent distraction from the ever-worsening situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, has not at all subtracted from its perceived seriousness, especially among Republican supporters.

In every media outlet in the country, Republican commentators talk of the horrible danger posed to "our way of life", "our culture", "our economy" and "our language" by the evil hordes of malicious "illegals". Within the anti-"illegal" movement, it is taken as ironclad truth that "illegals" are milking social programs dry, corrupting American values, and demanding that Americans speak Spanish. Drawing from the stated goals of small Mexican fringe groups, these anti-immigrant groups claim that Mexican immigrants are also committed to the reconquest of the American Southwest. Furthermore, anti-immigrant groups circulate news stories of undocumented immigrants who have been arrested and/or convicted of crimes. These stories ostensibly provide the basis for the widespread (within the movement) belief that "illegals" are responsible for a massive wave of violent crime in the US, and therefore pose a serious threat to the safety of Americans.

Much is revealed by the rhetoric and vocabulary used by the opponents of illegal immigration. First there is the obvious labeling of undocumented (or illegal) immigrants as "illegals". This labeling, which deprives people of even the small dignity of being called illegal immigrants, reduces all immigrants who cross the border without the sanction of the state to inhuman embodiments of criminality. These people are viewed as "illegal" and nothing more -- their mere existence in the United States is seen as both an affront to all American people and as a serious criminal act which many propose should be categorized as a felony. This conception of undocumented immigrants as purely "illegal" serves to further reinforce the view (mentioned above) that immigrants are in some way fundamentally anti-social, criminal, and prone to violence. This fanatical obsession with the inviolability of the law, coupled with a violent disgust for those who violate it, is almost amusing coming from the same pundits who never fail to excuse or minimize President Bush's contempt for legal provision.

While most Americans have been shown to be comfortable with depriving non-Americans of many constitutional protections and civil rights (for example, regarding the legal rights of accused terrorists), many in the virulently anti-"illegal" movement seek to deprive undocumented immigrants of virtually all human rights. Any attempt to afford these immigrants access to courts, the ability to appeal detention and status as "illegal", the right to humane treatment, or basic standards of human dignity (such as not being assaulted and detained by people such as the Minutemen solely for being suspected of being an "illegal") are passionately opposed.

Whether or not the majority of this movement -- which labels human beings as "illegals" and seeks to deprive them of all rights -- can technically be called "racist" or not is largely irrelevant. While the vast majority of people in this movement will dismiss any claim of racist motivation, there is a glaring absence of outcry over illegal immigration of non-Hispanic people. Furthermore, the myriad hateful stereotypes of laziness, criminality, dirtiness, etc are frequently attributed to "illegals". These stereotypes are defended on the grounds that "illegal immigrants aren't a race", and therefore the claims supposedly cannot be racist. Once again, these stereotypes are almost never applied to non-Hispanic immigrants, making it seem likely that anti-"illegal" sentiment has become a convenient -- though thinly veiled -- excuse for racism.

Even among those who do not hold such obviously racist views, this extremist movement is unquestionably nativist, xenophobic and based on ignorant fears of anything different -- fears that have been actively stoked by politicians and the President. While a reasonable argument can be made for immigration reform, these virulent, hateful, and ignorant beliefs are totally unacceptable in any civilized country. The widespread dehumanization of Hispanic immigrants through terms such as "illegals" and fictions of natural Hispanic criminality are not only repugnant to any thinking person, they are profoundly dangerous. This same breed of ignorant hatred has formed the basis for countless hate crimes, oppressive government policies, war crimes and atrocities throughout the world. While issues of immigration policy will be and should be discussed, such ignorance serves only to poison minds with hatred, and has no place in any respectable society.