Politicians Sense Bigotry in Immigration Debate

The statement smacked of the rhetoric that circulated 40 years agowhen some whites tried to explain their opposition toAfrican-Americans’ efforts to achieve equality during the Civil Rightsmovement.

“I don’t have anything against Latinos,” said the Bishop Frank L.Stewart as he gathered with nine other black speakers at ananti-immigration press conference here last month at the National PressClub. “I have Latinos in my organization. But Latinos have an agenda,and we are not included in it.”

As it has for more than 160 years, bigotry and racism have surfacedas the country takes up the issue of immigration reform, politicalscientists and sociologists say.

Politicians of both parties say they have begun to sense anundercurrent of bigotry hovering around the debate over what to do withthe millions of illegal immigrants already here and the hundreds ofthousands who annually want to enter legally. For the story, click here.

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