# Why the sudden explosion of anti-immigrant sentiment in the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 17, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369 "2014-07-17T16:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/21 "2014-07-17T19:48:36Z")
Gay marriage passed its “best before” date, needed to be replaced. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/22 "2014-07-17T19:50:15Z")
Is that why Obama mentioned it? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/23 "2014-07-17T20:13:32Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And we’re talking about “illegal immigration” here, not “immigration”. _In practice_ we’re talking about immigration, and about American citizens who have the wrong skin color or a foreign sounding name. I’ve dealt with so-called “anti illegal immigrant” people all my life, and in practice their idea of identifying people as “illegal immigrants” is to wave their hand in the general direction of some brown people and complain about illegal immigrants. And of course in states that crack down on “illegal immigrants” what we actually see is general racist persecution, not any real concern over whether the targets are illegal immigrants or immigrants at all. And of course, the only “illegal immigrants” people get worked up over are the brown ones; no one cares about Europeans or Canadian illegal immigrants. Ultimately, concern over “illegal immigrants” is just dog whistle racism in the great majority of cases. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/24 "2014-07-17T20:18:02Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It is a problem (IMO). It ought to be addressed - in fact, it ought already to have been addressed. We should not let anyone who wants to come into the country - a country that cannot maintain its borders is not much of a country. As far as I can tell. Nobody has yet come up with a viable way of securing our borders that doesn’t involve extreme amounts of manpower and cost. It’s more cost effective just to let them through. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/25 "2014-07-17T20:21:40Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Is that why Obama mentioned it? Did he? Whatever. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/26 "2014-07-17T20:28:02Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And of course, the only “illegal immigrants” people get worked up over are the brown ones; no one cares about Europeans or Canadian illegal immigrants. Well, ultimately this is probably because most illegal immigration into the United States does not come from places like Canada. It does in fact overwhelmingly come from Latin America. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/27 "2014-07-17T20:44:30Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Recession - already many more job seekers than jobs available. > > Also, illegal immigration has gone on for so long that there may be a “straw that broke the camel’s back” moment with US public opinion. Unless they’ve repealed child labor laws, I doubt we’ll have to worry about a bunch of kids taking everyone’s jobs. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/28 "2014-07-17T20:50:31Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > This is technically just a question but it’ll become a debate so I might as well start it here. But I am not sure where the debate will go because I don’t know the answer to the question. > > In recent months the U.S. media has absolutely exploded with political argument over illegal immigration and deporting children en masse and the whole nine yards, and to be honest I have no idea why. Of course illegal immigration has ALWAYS been a hot political topic in the USA, for as long as I can remember, under various Congresses and many Presidents of all parties. There has never been a time when it was not a major issue. > > But it’s just taken off like a rocket right now, going to extremes I’ve never heard before, suing the President, talk of militarizing U.S. borders, and both parties blaming the other for a “crisis” that has existed for as long as I’ve been alive. > > What happened? Tell us, something, Rick: Canada has loads of thriving farms and orchards, right? Who’s harvesting the crops there? Canada has thriving restaurants. Who are your busboys? Who are the janitors in your buildings? The maids at your hotels? I ask because SOMEHOW Canada is managing pretty well without allowing millions of Mexicans to cross their border illegally and demand the benefits of citizenship. Aren’t there" jobs Canadians won’t do"? Don’t you worry that your country isn’t “diverse” and “vibrant” enough? ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/29 "2014-07-17T20:51:51Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Well, ultimately this is probably because most illegal immigration into the United States does not come from places like Canada. It does in fact overwhelmingly come from Latin America. Just to add some data to this, according to a [Pew Hispanic Center Report](http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/44.pdf), in 2004 > [@](#): > > 57% of illegal immigrants were from Mexico; 24% were from other Latin American countries, primarily from Central America;[6] 9% were from Asia; 6% were from Europe and Canada; and 3% were from Africa and the rest of the world. . ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/30 "2014-07-17T21:04:52Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Well, ultimately this is probably because most illegal immigration into the United States does not come from places like Canada. It does in fact overwhelmingly come from Latin America. And? That doesn’t change the fact that people show no concern over non-brown illegal immigrants, not just somewhat less. Or eliminate the rest of the racist aspects of the anti-immigrant movement. I rather doubt that white children would get _nearly_ the same hostility. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/31 "2014-07-17T21:09:28Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In recent months the U.S. media has absolutely exploded with political argument over illegal immigration and deporting children en masse and the whole nine yards, and to be honest I have no idea why. Of course illegal immigration has ALWAYS been a hot political topic in the USA, for as long as I can remember, under various Congresses and many Presidents of all parties. There has never been a time when it was not a major issue. There is … or was … a growing sense that Obama and/or congress were quietly making moves to enact “comprehensive immigration reform” (widely understood as including some form of amnesty). This is an issue that divides both parties internally, with the working/middle class grassroots in both parties being much more opposed to it than the leadership in either party. The relationship between Obama and congress is deeply dysfunctional, and the pubs are going to gain seats this fall, so his ability to get any part of his agenda enacted legislatively before 2016 is very, very limited. Immigration was one of the limited number of issues where he and the pub leadership are close enough that they can do business. It’s also an issue where he has a fair amount of ability to act unilaterally. The grassroots, especially on the pub side, were smelling a backroom deal. Eric Cantor was suspected to be part of this deal, and the Tea Party just got him booted. That, plus the current clusterfuck, has probably killed any chance of it now. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/32 "2014-07-17T21:37:40Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And? That doesn’t change the fact that people show no concern over non-brown illegal immigrants, not just somewhat less. Or eliminate the rest of the racist aspects of the anti-immigrant movement. > > I rather doubt that white children would get _nearly_ the same hostility. The issue is as much socio-economic and linguistic as it is racial. Hispanic illegal immigrants are largely poor and non-English speaking. Canadians… not so much. It’s not at all clear to me if we had 10M scruffy-looking (ie, poor) French Canadians who were not functional in English sneaking over the boarder that Americans wouldn’t also be concerned. Not everything is so brown and white. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/33 "2014-07-17T21:40:59Z")
It’s also worth noting that this is NOT, by any means, te first time illegal immigration has been a hot issue. In the EIghties, during Ronald Reagan’s admionistration, we had what amounted to a huge amnesty for illegal aliens. That was SUPPOSED to be a one-time thing, after which the borer would be policed better and illegal immigration controlled. Did it happen? No. Why not? I think eclectic Western writer Edward Abbey put it best: “There are too many conservatives who love cheap labor and too many liberals who love a cheap cause.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/34 "2014-07-17T21:48:33Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > . . . suing the President . . . Actually, immigration is a subject [strangely and conspicuously absent from Boehner’s lawsuit](http://www.salon.com/2014/07/08/gops_dopey_lawsuit_problem_why_a_political_gambit_is_doomed_to_failure/). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/35 "2014-07-17T21:49:43Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It’s not at all clear to me if we had 10M scruffy-looking (ie, poor) French Canadians who were not functional in English sneaking over the boarder that Americans wouldn’t also be concerned. But that level of concern would be nothing like **this.** E.g., certainly the Minutemen would not exist. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Cashless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Johnny\_Cashless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Cashless)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/36 "2014-07-17T21:52:03Z")
Commies aren’t invading, Muslims are focused on Syria, the guy with the haircut in N. Korea has chilled and everyone else is dead… what ya gonna do. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/37 "2014-07-17T21:55:46Z")
It’s a little sad to see so many “never mind they are here illegally and we have no place to put them and no money to care for them, let’s play fantasy and pretend this would all be okay if they were white” posts. Deflect much? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/38 "2014-07-17T21:59:42Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > . . . and we have no place to put them and no money to care for them . . . Pretty sure we do, actually. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/39 "2014-07-17T22:22:07Z")
The Republicans have been getting thumped on everything else lately (gay marriage, Benghazi “scandal”, govt shutdowns), so this is their latest attempt to get traction on _ **something** _. What could be easier than picking on a bunch of kids? Somehow, I think their tactics are going to backfire on them, again. As mentioned upthread, the Eric Cantor deal perhaps is making Repubs feel like they gotta get more conservative on immigration, which would explain the sudden interest in this long-present topic. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/40 "2014-07-18T02:47:53Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Tell us, something, Rick: Canada has loads of thriving farms and orchards, right? Who’s harvesting the crops there? Immigrants. > [@](#): > > Canada has thriving restaurants. Who are your busboys? Immigrants, mostly. > [@](#): > > Who are the janitors in your buildings? The maids at your hotels? Immigrants. > [@](#): > > I ask because SOMEHOW Canada is managing pretty well without allowing millions of Mexicans to cross their border illegally and demand the benefits of citizenship. For the most part we just let them in legally. Canada’s economy is quite dependent upon immigrant labor. Over 20 percent of the country’s population are immigrants, higher than the USA, much higher than alleged multicultural failures like France and Germany, or indeed almost any other large country in the world (I believe Australia is higher, not counting little places like Liechtenstein and tax haven countries.) Without immigration the place would be half dead, economically speaking. Frankly, if you ask me, we should be bringing in even more. If I was in charge of Canada, I’d offer to bus some of the Mexicans up here if they wanted to come. > [@](#): > > Aren’t there" jobs Canadians won’t do"? Yes, that’s a significant problem. A lot of very active job markets in Canada simply don’t have enough people willing to do the jobs; some are low paying jobs, but a lot of decent paying jobs lack warm bodies, the ongoing example breing truck driving, in which a huge, huge percentage of such new blood as can be found is made of immigrants; were it not for immigrants God alone knows how some trucking outfits would stay in business. Construction is also very dependent on immigrants. Like the USA, we have lots of people graduating with remarkably useless degrees like “political science” and not enough people willing to be welders. > [@](#): > > Don’t you worry that your country isn’t “diverse” and “vibrant” enough? It being one of the most multicultural countries to exist in modern history, no. I really don’t know where you’re coming from. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369.md?page=3)