I woke to find this op-ed by Herndon Mayor Stephen J. DeBenedittis in this morning's Washington Post. As you can see, it appears that Mr. DeBenedittis feels a need to justify his actions of the past year, including a number of city ordinances that have been labeled as racist and anti immigrant.
In his letter, Mr. DeBenedittis assures us that neither he nor his community is racist. They simply want to follow the rule of law. What Mr. DeBenedittis fails to understand is that his anti-immigrant legislation does NOTHING to stop undocumented immigration, but it does harass immigrants (the documented and undocumented alike) and creates a hostile environment for everyone of Latino descent in his community.
DeBenedittis also should understand that we live in a era where citizens are skeptical about politicians and the inconsistencies between what they say and what they do. We're not likely to believe your words, Mr. DeBenedittis, when you tell us your community's response to immigration is not racist: those who have been watching Herndon over the last two years know the community's actions speak for themselves.
2 comments:
The town of Herndon has no authority to stop illegal immigration. All they can do is make Herndon a place less welcoming to illegals. They are on the right track. If you think illegals are so deserving, invite them to live with you in your neighborhood.
They are on the right track only if you think doing nothing of significance is the "right track." Why not direct that energy where it might do some good--by lobbying congress for comprehensive immigration reform.
The undocumented, and all residents of the U.S., deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. As a group they are hardworking, decent people, and I would welcome them to my neighborhood. I would prefer not to live next to you, however.
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