Pro & Anti (Latino) Immigration

http://proinmigrant.blogspot.com/
This blog is run by a black African American man who identifies himself as a victim of Americanism and the American Nightmare. Although his blog doesn’t focus just on Latino immigration into the US (Canadian, Asian and European immigration are brought up a lot) it does seem to be the main thread. Throughout his nearly five years of running this pro-immigration blog, many Latino issues have been discussed, with the up-most passion on his behalf.
The blogger discusses such issues as Chris Simcox, the founder of Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, who was heard saying “we need the National Guard to clean out all our cities and round them [Mexicans] up. They are hard-core criminals. They have no problem slitting your throat and taking your money or selling drugs to your kids or raping your daughters and they are evil people.”
Another article I discovered, a year after this one was posted, showed an interview with Minuteman in which they believed Mexicans carried out the 9/11 attacks.

The blogger talks about the American Dream regarding Latinos. Many of who feel that there is no such thing. In a survey carried out, nearly 10% of Latinos said they had been stopped by police or other authorities and asked about their immigration status in the last year, including 8% of Latinos born in the U.S. Nearly 15% said it had been hard to find or keep a job because they were Latino, and 10% said the same thing about finding or keeping housing.
A counter argument for these anti-immigrant people is an article the blogger posted about the country of Panama. In a Panamanian newspaper, it spoke about the American immigrants into their country. Many of who, would be middle class citizens in the states, but are treated like millionaires in Panama. The blog states: “that Panama has the politest, warmest, most affectionate, most friendly, happiest people worldwide (Then, it was TRUE what the previous study of themeasure of happiness said about Tropical Paradises like Panama who ended in # 5 happiest country worldwide...compared to this, it means that these Americansimmigrants are running away from the rudeness, impoliteness, unfriendliness andunhappiness proper of America, Canada and Europe....but it is NOT MY PROBLEM that Americans had built a rude, unpolite, materialistic, xenophobic, anti-immigrant, racist society of their own....Moreover, Panamanians are not famous for emigrate to nowhere unlike other nationalities...Then, WHY do we, panamanians, have totolerate their American invasion of our country?)”
The reason I was first drawn to this blog was the passion that the blogger had for immigrants. But over time and throughout reading his posts, it seems that he is somewhat equally racist towards people who may not believe in the rights of illegal immigrants. He calls them all xenophobes, which means the “hatred or fear of foreigners or strangers” but surely there are some Americans who do not necessarily mind foreigners but do mind if they enter the country illegally?
And just as he is focusing on the hatred and extreme that some people are heading towards – Lou Dobbs brings up that he would like the killing of “Mexican Aliens” – the blogger is sending it right back with his opinion of that Dobbs should be killed. I don’t believe there is a difference. He is equally as ignorant and horrible as Lou Dobbs.


http://www.fairus.org/site/PageNavigator/homepagenew
My second website and the anti-Latino immigration is a group called FAIR, the Federation of American Immigration Reform. It’s a “national, non-profit, public-interest, membership organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that our nation's immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest.”
They talk mostly about the elimination of illegal immigrants, which I feel is understandable. They present facts about all immigration into the United States, just as the first website did. They believe that with over a million legal and illegal immigrants settling in the states every year, is has a major impact on education, healthcare, government budgets, employment, the environment, crime and countless other areas of American life. This website and their followers give reasons and explain why they feel they do, in a very large contrast to the first blog I posted about.
The one thing about this website which I do not really agree on is the use of the word “alien” when talking about immigrants.
They write about issues such as George Bush sending hundreds of millions of dollars to Mexico and Mexican people living illegally in the States. “It would gain greater U.S. Social Security benefits for Mexicans who have worked in the United States, including those who worked illegally, and for their family members.” Their argument is not in violence (unlike pro-immigration blog) but to show the Americans where their money is going and that it shouldn’t necessarily be stopped because we’re all countries that offer help; but to stop illegal immigrants entering the US.

There are significant differences between the two websites. I originally believed that I would agree more with the pro-immigration website as I believe that there are many people in horrendous poverty and migrating is the only way out. But through their delivery, I am siding more with the anti-immigration website. The first website just seems very angry. He doesn’t seem to point out any advantages of immigrants and I realise that I know nothing about the situation other than he hates xenophobes – who he categorises as everyone against immigrants (both legal and illegal) without knowing the reason behind their opinion. Whereas the second website gives statistics and reason for their beliefs. They back up what they are saying and understand what is happening as a result of legal and illegal immigration.