In a climate where the Ku Klux Klan uses the immigration “threat” to recruit members and neo-Nazis continue to market a computer game where the goal is to shoot Mexicans crossing the border, there is little doubt that these are hard times for immigrants and their allies.
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As the xenophobes of primetime (Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, etc.) continue to preach their endless streams of lies and self-perpetuating panic, the situation is becoming worse for perceived foreigners.  The Latino community, in particular, has become a target for anti-immigrant hate.  In fact,  FBI data continues to list Latinos as fastest growing target for hate crimes; and the number of incidents continues to rise.
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Clearly, the anti-immigrant climate is leading to further divisions between communities and it is not unreasonable to think that it’s leading to violence.  The majority of Americans see immigration as a positive thing, but the small minority who follow Lou Dobbs and company are dangerous and merciless.
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I was happy to hear that at least one candidate running for President publicly pointed out the dangerous effects of anti-immigrant rhetoric.  Speaking at a rally in Florida last weekend, Barack Obama even called out some of the hate mongers by name.
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“A certain segment has basically been feeding a kind of xenophobia. There’s a reason why hate crimes against Hispanic people doubled last year,” Obama said. “If you have people like Lou Dobbs and Rush Limbaugh ginning things up, it’s not surprising that would happen.”
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I hope that Mr. McCain will also take a stand against this type of hate speech.  When he does, I will also post his comments.