Re: Justin Akers Chacon’s March 27 commentary, “What’s fueling increase in violence against Latinos?�:
This commentary irked me because it mirrors a similar article in The Star from a week or two ago on essentially the same subject. The thing that irritates me is that both articles posited — somewhat subtly, but not too subtly — that, as Chacon wrote, "immigrant scapegoating … [has fueled} the rise of hate groups setting their sights on Latinos, regardless of citizenship status."
Chacon then goes on to lump together "illegal" immigrants" with immigrants lawfully in the country and defend that lumped group as a whole. That is what is so irritating to me and, I suggest, to others of my bent.
Everyone in this country — even "native Americans," if one goes far enough back in time — is an immigrant. Why is it that advocates for "immigrants" can't seem to grasp the distinction between the immigrants who have arrived at this country legally and those that haven't? Those that have arrived legally have passed health and criminal background checks. They were required to be well enough educated or trained to support themselves in the economy. Those who have arrived through illegal means have not.
Even more irritating to me is the attempt by these two articles to segue smoothly — almost unnoticed — into a discussion relating the spoken or written objection to illegal immigration as a "hate crime." Oh my! We must avoid stating views that disagree with their basic premises.
Chacon and others of his persuasion should look around, read the papers, listen to the alarms being sounded about the economy and realize that the infrastructure of California, and to a lesser extent in other states, has been overwhelmed by illegal immigration.
— Richard Hawley, Thousand Oaks
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