There were 2 articles next to each other on the front page of the Triangle and Co. section of the 2/12/11 N&O. One was by Barry Saunders “The upshot might be no hoax” and the other was ‘Suspect retracts plea in slaying”. I think there is a strong connection between these articles.

Saunders article quotes an email going around warning people of “gangs from Mexico robbing women in Walmart parking lots” that is spreading fear over the internet. He writes ‘the reason that these hoaxes work is that they play on existing fears.’ History is full of cases where a group is demonized and then treated progressively worse and worse. I believe that is the case, especially for Latino immigrants right now. The other article tells a sad and frightening story. A man was robbed and shot 8 years ago, paralyzing him from the waste down. His brother came from Mexico to help care for him. Last year, that brother was robbed and murdered. 5 of 6 young men are charged with this crime. The article quotes Durham prosecutor Theresa Pressley saying that on Sep 4, 2010 “the six suspects set out to rob some Mexicans.”

There is no doubt that this is a hate crime. But I don’t think people realize what an attractive target Hispanics make, and how all Hispanics are at risk due to the 287(g) program that is in effect in 8 counties in NC, including Wake County.

The University of North Carolina law school and the ACLU, after an extensive investigation of the 287(g) program in North Carolina, released a report concluding that immigrants were afraid to contact police if they were victims or witnesses of crimes out of fear of being jailed or deported. The Executive Summary of the UNC-CH/ACLU-NC report "The Policies and Politics of Local Immigration Enforcment Laws' is at http://www.law.unc.edu/documents/clinicalprograms/287gexecutivesummary.pdf

That 287(g) program is a federal program that allows local or state police to enter into an agreement to enforce federal immigration law. There are 71 sheriffs and police chiefs around the country, eight in North Carolina, who have joined the program (as of 10/29/10). It allows local officers to check the immigration status of people and to begin deportation proceedings.

According to Rebecca Headen, staff attorney with the ACLU of North Carolina, “The 287(g) program has created a climate of racial profiling and community fear throughout the state of North Carolina. Local law enforcement has established immigration checkpoints in areas frequented by Latinos including churches, flea markets, and trailer parks. Latinos have been arrested for improper vehicle tags, driving without a license, and fishing without a license. State troopers and local sheriffs’ officers detained a bus with Latino passengers for hours for no reason other than the assertion they look foreign. Across North Carolina, Latinos now live under the constant threat that a trip to the grocery store or to Sunday worship could result in the deportation of their families.”

History is full of cases where a group is demonized and then treated progressively worse. I believe that is the case, especially for Latinos right now (immigrant or not, judged by appearance). It is up to concerned citizens to stand up for the rights of all.