Republicans condemn illegal immigrants because they want to blame them for the stagnant wages of most Americans rather than acknowledge the truth: that wages are stagnant because almost all the economy's gains for the last thirty years have gone to the top. It's also part of the old Republican divide-and-conquer strategy -- to convince the white working class that the main cause of their economic frustrations are minorities. The greatest fear of the Republican Party is that poor, working class, middle class, black, Latinos, and whites will join together in a coalition to reclaim our economy and democracy from the moneyed interests that have dominated it for over three decades, and which are bankrolling the GOP.
A similar pattern of immigrant-bashing is occurring in Europe, where right-wing nationalist groups are gaining ground by whipping up hatred toward immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. In fact, history is replete with shameful examples of demagogues who use economic insecurities and frustrations to advance themselves by making scapegoats of minorities. But in America -- a nation comprised almost entirely of immigrants, and soon to have a majority of minorities -- this cynical tactic is bound to backfire.
~
Robert Reich
When we blame the poor, we're blaming the wrong people.
