The Mexicans Are Coming! The Mexicans Are Coming!

The Mexicans Are Coming! The Mexicans Are Coming! by Kerry Howley, Reason Magazine (9/07), raises questions about the motives of many of the politicians at the forefront of the war against Latino immigration.

Hyping the immigration crisis in America's whitest states

She cites the case of Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. He's damn tired of this “unnatural influx” of people “who openly flout the laws.” Problem is that Missouri has few Latinos and the recent Latino immigrant surge has largely bypassed his state.

Howley notes that San Diego State University Sociologist Jill Esbenshade found that almost 80 percent of the localities where ordinances have been discussed had below the national average of Latino population share in 2000.

So what's the motivation?

Pure racism. That is, these politicians are using thinly veiled racist appeals for political gain.

In the 1800's it was under the banner of fighting the Yellow Menace that propelled many political careers. Today, nativists such as Blunt, Tancredo and Buchanan are riding a racist wave as they profit from their fight against the Brown Menace.