Apr 1, 2011

Immigration Politics: Trying to see past emotion of immigration debate

William McKenzie, an editorial columnist for The Dallas Morning News, looks at the emotionalism of the immigration debate.

Trying to see past emotion of immigration debate - National voices - MercedSun-Star.com: "Tony Garza, the former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has the best explanation I've heard about why our country can't do anything about immigration. Americans on all sides are stuck in their emotional responses to the changes immigration causes, and we can't get to the point that reason guides us.
For some, emotions run high because they see American culture changing around them. Signs in Spanish, advertising stores catering to Hispanics. Latinos dominating schools. New census data showing one in six Americans today is Latino only intensifies those feelings....

Before we can approach this debate with new policy proposals, we must understand why people respond so viscerally. ...

A complex subject, this is. But let me start with this idea: The way beyond the emotional phase starts with assimilation, which is a fancy term for figuring out how people from different backgrounds can live side by side.

Assimilation has been one of America's preeminent challenges. As in the past, it's answered through finding ways that people share similar experiences."

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