# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/41 "2014-07-18T03:08:51Z")
> [@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. Of course it was hostility to white immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe that led to the immigration quotas of the 1920s that didn’t get struck down until the mid-60s. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/42 "2014-07-18T03:11:27Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Immigrants. > Immigrants, mostly. > Immigrants. > 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. > 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. > It being one of the most multicultural countries to exist in modern history, no. I really don’t know where you’re coming from. I think a lot of people who’ve never been to Canada have really silly ideas about what Canadians are like. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/43 "2014-07-18T03:37:07Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] 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. [/QUOTE] You always trot out this horseshit, but my own experience is that a lot of those complaining in those states that actually have illegal immigrant issues are themselves ‘brown people’…like my dad. And like many people in my family. My guess is that you don’t live in a border state, unless it’s California which is much more diverse than, say, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas (though Texas is more diverse than Arizona or New Mexico…though still have a large percentage of folks who self identify as Hispanic). It’s a more complex issue than your knee jerk ‘white people hate and fear brown people’ meme. ---
**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 18, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/44 "2014-07-18T04:44:49Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I think a lot of people who’ve never been to Canada have really silly ideas about what Canadians are like. Well, I got a minor chuckle out of this: > [@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. The combined population of Quebec and New Brunswick is less than nine million, and the subset who are not functional in English is smaller still. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/45 "2014-07-18T04:59:26Z")
To add to **RickJay** ’s post about the situation in Canada, there was actually something of a significant scandal recently about the use of immigrant labour wherein a program to bring in foreign workers was severely restricted - in part to protect Canadian workers - but also because employers were seen as abusing the program at the expense of said foreign workers, who were being brought in to work minimum wage jobs and then exploited because of their temporary status. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/46 "2014-07-18T05:13:04Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The combined population of Quebec and New Brunswick is less than nine million, and the subset who are not functional in English is smaller still. Er, while I am not **John Mace** and cannot speak for him, I didn’t get the impression that he believed that to be an accurate description of **real-life** French-Canadians. AFAICT it was merely a fanciful hypothetical: _“ **Suppose** there were 10M poor non-Anglophone French-Canadians trying to cross our northern border to escape their wretched lives back home.”_ ---
**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 18, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/47 "2014-07-18T05:15:57Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Er, while I am not **John Mace** and cannot speak for him, I didn’t get the impression that he believed that to be an accurate description of **real-life** French-Canadians. Yes, I gathered, I just thought it was amusing as I read it and thought “_Are_ there that many French-Canadians?” And, well… no. ---
**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 18, 2014, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/48 "2014-07-18T05:18:44Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Of course it was hostility to white immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe that led to the immigration quotas of the 1920s that didn’t get struck down until the mid-60s. That was then, this is now. You don’t see much talk about the Yellow Peril anymore either. Or even with Mexicans, you don’t see many people bring up their tendency to be Catholic, which used to be a big deal. Which brand of bigotry is fashionable tends to change a lot. Right now it’s demonizing Hispanics. > [@XT](#): > > You always trot out this horseshit, but my own experience is that a lot of those complaining in those states that actually have illegal immigrant issues are themselves ‘brown people’…like my dad. And like many people in my family. I expect they’ll change their opinion when and if they get their way, there’s a “crackdown on illegal immigration”, and they find _themselves_ being among those harassed. > [@XT](#): > > My guess is that you don’t live in a border state, unless it’s California which is much more diverse than, say, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas (though Texas is more diverse than Arizona or New Mexico…though still have a large percentage of folks who self identify as Hispanic). It says right over every post, Location: California. And I live in an apartment building filled with brown Spanish speaking people who have yet to kill me or infect me with anything or any of the other things people are so paranoid about. And what makes you think there isn’t plenty of anti-immigrant ranting and raving in California? According to some people here the illegal immigrant hordes are planning to start an uprising and force the state to join Mexico. > [@XT](#): > > It’s a more complex issue than your knee jerk ‘white people hate and fear brown people’ meme. No; people are _pretending_ that it’s more complex, but it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/49 "2014-07-18T11:50:48Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > No; people are _pretending_ that it’s more complex, but it isn’t. As I wrote previously, the population of other nations seems to support control at the borders, but I’m branded at a raciest, gun toting nut case for wanting the same for the United States. Are we allowed any control of our country while still be classified as a “good Americans?” What is your solution? Completely open borders? I’m sure you’ll want some middle ground but what is that? Closing the borders on odd days? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/50 "2014-07-18T12:28:51Z")
A lot of people here want to believe anti-immigrant sentiment MUST be racist in nature. Personally, if I hated Mexicans, I should probably stop marrying them. I can honestly say not only that “Some of my best friends are Hispanic” but “MOST of my family and best friends are Hispanic.” Lest anyone think anti-immigrant feeling is purely related to racism, here’s something to consider" Cesar Chavez HATED “wetbacks” (HIS word, not mine). He and his brother organized groups of Hispanic American union farm workers to beat up Mexicans who tried to cross the border. He didn’t view Mexicans as his brown-skinned brethren, he saw them for what they were: foreign scabs who were helping Big Growers to hold down wages. MOST of us on the SDMB are educated, and most of us are working at jobs that Mexican immigrants aren’t likely to take. As a result, many of us are too blase about the effect illegal immigrants have on blue collar workers of ALL races in the USA. The unemployment rate among black Americans is extremely high. How can anyone argue we need millions more foreigners to fill blue collar jobs? UNLESS, that is, you’re saying black Americans don’t want to work (IS that what you’re implying?). My first wife’s father was a Texas-born Hispanic. He worked in the oil fields of South Texas most of his life. It was hard, but he made enough money to buy a house and put two kids through college. HE’S the type of man whose job would have been threatened by illegal immigration. I don’t hate Mexicans. I don’t even BLAME them for wanting to come here. Their skin tone and their language is different, but in most respects, a Mexican crossing the border probably probably has a lot in common with my peasant Irish ancestors. It’s just an unfortunate FACT that the USA can’t take in EVERYBODY who wants to come here. Do I like being on the side of SOME anti-immigrant folks who definitely ARE racist? No- but shouldn’t YOU be uneasy about being on the side of Big Growers and Big Business? ---
**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 18, 2014, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/51 "2014-07-18T12:56:23Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, I got a minor chuckle out of this: > > The combined population of Quebec and New Brunswick is less than nine million, and the subset who are not functional in English is smaller still. It was a hypothetical. I thought that was obvious. I used Canada because it has a long, shared border with the US and a certain population whose first language is not English. That is all. For the record, I’ve been to Canada many times. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/52 "2014-07-18T13:10:33Z")
I’m not clear on the context of your quote, but I would offer that the USA has been in an economic slump for the past 6 years. Immigrants make a great target for blame, God forbid we put whitie criminals in jail, God forbid whitie criminals even lose their jobs. Must easier blaming darkies. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/53 "2014-07-18T13:20:15Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > As I wrote previously, the population of other nations seems to support control at the borders, but I’m branded at a raciest, gun toting nut case for wanting the same for the United States. Are we allowed any control of our country while still be classified as a “good Americans?” > > What is your solution? Completely open borders? I’m sure you’ll want some middle ground but what is that? Closing the borders on odd days? Sure…nations with much smaller borders than the U.S. Which way do you think is best to secure the U.S.'s 2k mile border with Mexico? Can you find a comparable border that was made secure by another country? The best we can do is make it difficult. The border is just too damn big. As someone said in another thread, “Show me a 10 foot wall and I’ll show you an 11 foot ladder.” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/54 "2014-07-18T13:21:13Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It doesn’t have to be a threat to our security to be a problem. If you are saying No, we don’t need to do anything, then both I and Obama (and the GOP, and practically everyone in the US besides strict libertarians, knee-jerkers of any stripe, or those who employ illegal aliens) disagree. > > 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. > > Regards, > Shodan That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that just because something is a problem doesn’t mean it needs to be blasted on the news 24/7. Just fix it. This isn’t a new problem either. Border security (specifically in the south) has been a problem and Americans have been racist and xenophobic as long as I can remember. Again, it’s not about “fixing problems”. Politicians don’t care about getting things done. They care about getting themselves and their party elected. The easiest way to do that is to point out at the oppositions failures (real or imagined). The Republicans are a lot better at that than the Democrats. At least in the sense that they can take something that appears to be a positive trait and turn it into a liability or at least cast doubt. Kind of like dumbass high school jocks making fun of the nerd who got into Harvard. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/55 "2014-07-18T13:37:59Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > ??? That’s just a straight news report about Obama asking Congress for a supplemental appropriation to deal with the children. The OP was asking for the reasons for a “sudden explosion in anti-immigrant sentiment”. Its funny how the conservatived think that there is room in our system for the millions of aborted children but 36000 Guatemalan kids would strain the system to the breaking point. I dont know if they have really thought this through. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/56 "2014-07-18T13:44:37Z")
It’s due to the nature of the current Republican Party. The mainstream Republicans have been positively paralyzed by the batshit Teabag wing to the point where they don’t dare propose any solutions to any problems, lest they be accused of trying to make government work. Since they have been effectively self-expelled from the policy arena, the only thing they can do to get people to vote for them is to gin up hatred of “others”. Immigrants make a handy target for them, so they beat the drums about how the Hispanic Horde is going to come north and take jobs away from us and vote for those socialist Democrats. Since their tent is shrinking, Republicans have no choice to drum up hysteria among that shrinking base in order to get them motivated to vote. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/57 "2014-07-18T13:45:35Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > A lot of people here want to believe anti-immigrant sentiment MUST be racist in nature. Got a cite for that “a lot of people” bit? AFAICT, the only poster here taking such a strongly absolutist “opposition to illegal immigration = racism” stance is **Der Trihs**. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/58 "2014-07-18T13:53:26Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > but shouldn’t YOU be uneasy about being on the side of Big Growers and Big Business? Why? Their people too! ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/59 "2014-07-18T13:54:32Z")
> [@Sinaptics](#): > > Sure…nations with much smaller borders than the U.S. > > Which way do you think is best to secure the U.S.'s 2k mile border with Mexico? Can you find a comparable border that was made secure by another country? > > The best we can do is make it difficult. The border is just too damn big. As someone said in another thread, “Show me a 10 foot wall and I’ll show you an 11 foot ladder.” See maginot line. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369/60 "2014-07-18T13:55:43Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Why? Their people too! They’re. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-explosion-of-anti-immigrant-sentiment-in-the-usa/693369.md?page=4)