Jackson Free Press

Despite its ungainly headline, AP ran an excellent story about the absurdity of some Mississippi politicians' anti-immigrant rhetoric, delivered just in time for the election cycle.

"Mississippi candidates have made illegal immigration a top campaign issue with no shortage of angles this election cycle," the article, authored by Sheila Byrd, begins.

What the article shows, without outright saying, is that most of these "angles" include the same thing: absurdist, anti-immigrant rhetoric. Since the vast majority of new immigrants in Mississippi are Latino, "immigrant" in this context is a code word for "Hispanic" or "Latino." As the AP article points out, much of the political "anti-immigration" language is race-based. In other words, it's business as usual—with a new shift in preserving the status quo.

Phil Bryant, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, recently commissioned a report attempting to link immigrants with crime, though he concedes no actual link exists. In the report, Bryant writes, "[T]here is limited or no comprehensive data available about criminal aliens." The solution to this non-problem? A "comprehensive safety plan" intended to combat illegal immigrant crime, of whose existence no one can prove. It sounds like the Red Scare to me.

In the AP article, Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, compared such language more directly to the race-baiting politicking ubiquitous in the 50s and 60s:

"You go back and look at some of the old editions of newspapers in the '50s and '60s and you've got all this language relating to 'our Southern way of life.' Now, we have the new millennium version of that in 'Hispanics coming looking for jobs.'"

Meanwhile, Republican Secretary of State candidate Delbert Hosemann continues to advocate for a voter ID system to combat illegal aliens, the same tactic politicians used against blacks in this state. The AP article makes a hilarious, and surprisingly bold, point:

And Delbert Hosemann, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, said he'll keep illegal immigrants from voting in state elections. It seems to be a hollow campaign promise since there's no proof that an illegal immigrant has cast a ballot in state elections.

The JFP has gone after the Republican Secretary of State candidates (including the defeated Sen. Mike Lott) for hopping on this wedge-issue bandwagon, going so far as to endorse no one for the Republican ticket in our 2007 Primary Guide Issue:

The JFP is disturbed by the anti-immigration rhetoric by Rep. Mike Lott and Delbert Hosemann, who says he wants to keep 'illegal' immigrants and deceased voters off the voter rolls. This position needs to focus more on getting new voters to register and turn out, not obsess about overblown problems that are used as political wedge issues.

Race-based politics is a dangerous thing. Let's hope Mississippi voters can prevent its elected officials from repeating the mistakes of their predecessors—and hold them accountable for spurious sideshows like Voter ID and a "criminal alien" task force. Both of these measures fuel fear and hatred, and waste money combating problems that don't exist. Now, that's a 21st Century answer to the Domino Theory if I ever heard one—rivaled, of course, by the War on Iraq.

Previous Comments

ID

114508

Comment

Good stuff from Marty Wiseman: "You go back and look at some of the old editions of newspapers in the '50s and '60s and you've got all this language relating to 'our Southern way of life.' Now, we have the new millennium version of that in 'Hispanics coming looking for jobs.'” Right on.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-06T16:24:25-06:00

ID

114509

Comment

Sigh. Beat that straw man. Beat him good. The main cost that illegal immigrants impose on society isn't crime. It's the bare fact that they will work for next to nothing. They remove any leverage the working class might have on large employers. They are a pressure release valve for raw capitalism. They also impose costs on infrastructure. To state the obvious, it costs society money to accommodate fifteen million extra people, regardless of where they're from. Add the fact that they don't speak English, and the added strains that all poor people put on infrastructure --i.e., needing subsidized health care, subsidized (bilingual) education, public transportation-- and you begin to realize we're paying a substantial amount to accommodate our guests. I should emphasize that "WE" are paying. The companies that hire illegals reap every cent of the economic benefit they provide, while spreading the costs out to you and me. And mostly to the poor. Like a regressive tax. The hard fact is, black and brown people from all over the world would kill to get into the US. But there is limited space. Why should the sorting mechanism for deciding which of those people get in be, "Who can swim a river or climb a fence?" as opposed to, "Who has a skill that will move the US economy into the 21st century?" And BTW, Wiseman is wrong: There is a fundamental difference between denying American citizens equal treatment under law, and using a wholly irrational, economically regressive mechanism for choosing which minorities get to enter the US. Indeed, unchecked illegal immigration hurts blacks more than anyone else. This sort of glib comparison is beneath him.

Author

laughter

Date

2007-09-06T17:15:15-06:00

ID

114510

Comment

No, it's not a glib comparison, LTG. The rhetoric is much like that of the past. And being honest about that in no ways means that one, somehow in your twisted logic, then automatically supports "unchecked immigration." Come on. Now, to Matt, I noticed when I read this story this part about Franks: His Democratic opponent, state Rep. Jamie Franks, wants to penalize Mississippi employers who hire illegal immigrants. It sounds like Democrats aren't focusing directly on immigrants, but on employers who hire them. What is your take on this? Is it subterfuge to still play the "alien" card and get the xenophobic vote?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-07T14:34:38-06:00