Is the US Government Targeting Latinos With Immigration Policies?
Numerous anti-government organizations have mushroomed in the U.S. since last year. Could this be response to the increasing the anti-immigration rhetoric by Republican candidates and other anti-immigration candidates running for office?
Republican presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush earned the ire of the Latino community and outspoken celebrities have published an open letter to the Latino community for "pandering to the anti-immigrant base of the Republican Party that idolizes Donald Trump." The letter was released by prominent Latino celebrities including America Ferrera, Aubrey Plaza, Carlos Santana, Zoe Saldana, Benjamin Bratt and Dolores Huerta among many others.
"We must not, though, let Trump's xenophobia overshadow the extreme policies being pushed by every single one of the GOP's leading presidential candidates," the letter said. "Latinos should understand that Donald Trump embodies the true face of the entire Republican Party. Sadly, he speaks for the GOP's anti-immigrant, anti-Latino agenda."
Bush and Rubio reportedly used "divisive rhetoric" to try to take some of Donald Trump's supporters. Bush used the term "anchor babies" to refer to babies born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrant parents and declared defiance for a multicultural society. Rubio spoke of a physical wall to keep out immigrants if elected.
President Barack Obama called out Rubio for maintaining a new stance as he was one of the four senators who co-sponsored a 2013 immigration bill for almost 11 million undocumented immigrants.
"You've got a candidate who sponsored a bill, that I supported, to finally solve the immigration problem, and he's running away from it as fast as he can," Obama said of Rubio.
The celebrities concluded their letter by saying that Latinos should vote in the upcoming Presidential elections as they have the power to decide who gets to be president.
Hate and anti-government groups in the U.S. have increased, according to a report. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SLPC) states that hate groups have increased to 892 in 2015 from 784 in 2014.
Meanwhile, the anti-government groups have increased from 874 in 2014 to 998 in 2015. They note that there is an increase in anti-Muslim behavior and black separatist groups.
"We think that the growth of these groups is due almost entirely to the very dramatic attention that has been paid over the past year to police violence against black men," SPLC Senior Fellow Mark Potok said. He also describes 2015 "as a year that very nearly approaches the political upheavals of 1968 - a time of real trial for this country."
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