Unfolding 5 Immigration Myths To Woman Who Went On Racist Tirade In Kentucky JCPenney

Based on the lack of cognition that certain individuals have boarded in their hate elocutions during and following the recent electoral campaign, it is crucial to divulge various consequential myths, focally regarding immigration, race, and diversity. Exposing how racism is a critical factor embodied in the day-to-day basis, is essential to gain further insight into the dynamics of this controversial issue and modern-day reality that recently has persuaded individuals to blindly, or strategically and conveniently, voice their hate against immigrants, as divulged racism more than ever is a latent consequence of the Trump effect.

This piece unfolds five immigration myths that address law and crime, economy, racial demographics, and the social impacts of immigrants in the United States, which are anchored to white supremacy and are a detrimental factor affecting the most vulnerable.

1. Most immigrants come from Latin America

Most immigrants do not come from Latin America. According to recent reports, the modern wave of Asian immigration in the U.S. pushed a total of 18.2 million in 2011, constituting 5.8 percent of the total U.S. population (that is, Asian origin), compared with the less than 1 percent they represented in 1965. By 2065, it is expected that Latinos will constitute 31 percent of all immigrants, while Asians will constitute 38 percent of all immigrants in the U.S., surpassing all other ethnic groups. Further, immigration from Latin America (Mxico) has not increased. According to a report by the PEW Research Center, Latino immigration decreased almost 30 percent from 2000 to 2010. Today, we have a zero net Mexican migration rate.

2. Immigrants are criminals

Immigrants are not more likely to commit crimes. The myth of an accumulation of undocumented immigrants crossing the border illegally supports the idea of an American invasion and an attack to the white population. This myth provides the basis and support for other negative criminal myths impacting Latino immigrants. For further information, consult the work of sociologist and criminologist Martin Guevara Urbina, who has conducted extensive research on the minority experience. Studies show that non-citizen Latino immigrants are less likely to commit crime than American citizens, and whites are actually three times more likely to be victimized by whites than by minorities, as documented by Urbina and Alvarez in their upcoming book, Ethnicity and Criminal Justice in the Era of Mass Incarceration: A Critical Reader on the Latino Experience.

3. Immigrants affect the U.S. economy negatively

Immigrants impact the U.S. economy positively. Immigrant labor fills labor voids. Latino immigrants provide an important labor service to the U.S., as they account for a significant portion of the heavy labor force, and as the white population ages Latino immigrants fill the various voided sectors of the labor force, constantly contributing to the economy and the future of the U.S. In fact, immigrants join native-born Americans in improving the economy. According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, immigrants were more than twice more likely to start businesses in 2010 than were the native-born.

4. Immigrants and Hispanics drain social and welfare services

Immigrants and Latinos do not drain social and welfare services. Immigrants are wrongfully blamed for multiple problems in the U.S., however, we must remember that the United States has historically provided welfare programs that have benefited whites only. According to some estimates, 90 percent of the beneficiaries have not been Latino, and while other figures show an increase in Latino assistance, largely due to the latest economic crises, the list of people receiving economic assistance in the United States is led by non-Latinos.

5. Immigrants do not pay taxes

Immigrants do pay taxes. Immigrants contribute to the economy by paying payroll taxes, local taxes and state taxes, accounting for a 11.6 billion dollar annual tax collection from undocumented immigrants alone. Otherwise, the economy would stumble without the labor momentum and continuous economic contribution of immigrants.

However, statistical data rarely triumphs over the ideological foundations of white supremacy. Instead, Trumps election campaign uncovered closet racism and xenophobia, to the extent of vehemently moving masses with a hate speech of resentment that was strategically used to win the presidency. Trump evangelize along xenophobic paths, reaping in sympathy the racist and misogynistic prejudices that are still extremely latent today, culminating in the harvest of votes in his favor. Trump and his advisers probably knew better than anyonethe divide of our now evident non-existing post-racial reality, which was obviously used to their advantage.

Globally, centuries of de facto segregation and prejudiced juris have particularly led many white Americans to believe that any presence of minorities leads to contamination of their vitality. Deeply rooted in the American legal system, racism has served a primary objectivethe maintenance of white supremacyin a system where the distribution of social power is consistently asymmetric and favors whites.

Therefore, the structural and systemic factors shaping race in the U.S. and its legal system have led to the disproportionate imprisonment of minorities and immigrants, a grave situation that needs to be promptly addressed.

Sofa Espinoza lvarez is an author, researcher, legist, and advocate. She is a law graduate and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice. lvarez has maintained an active professional career and an intense research and publication agenda, publishing various academic book chapters, journal articles, and books. Her books include, Immigration and the Law: Race, Citizenship, and Social Control Over Time (forthcoming); Ethnicity and Criminal Justice in the Era of Mass Incarceration: A Critical Reader on the Latino Experience (2017); and Latino Police Officers in the United States: An Examination of Emerging Trends and Issues (2015).

For more, connect with Sofa on Twitter , Facebook , Linkedin , Instagam , GoodReads , or visit SofiaAlva.com. Got a question? Email me at: info@sofiaalva.com.