Oppenheimer on Immigration Protests

Miami Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer chimes in on his reason why protests in South Florida have been mild in comparison to other U.S. cities:

It's not surprising that in South Florida, where 62 percent of the population is Hispanic, there were no such massive demonstrations. There was no need for it: In Miami, politicians and the media almost unanimously reject draconian measures such as turning all undocumented workers into criminals. They understand, rightly, that the only way to reduce the flow of migrants will be to help narrow the income gap between the United States and Latin America.

Oppenheimer makes a very good point, which I feel ties in to my previous post. Immigrants here feel more at home and their cause is understood and sympathized by the rest of the community. In turn, South Florida immigrants learn to respect the U.S. and its true spirit of helping those in need.

His concluding remarks are also interesting:

My conclusion: I don't see the new ''Latino Power'' as a strident separatist movement, as many U.S. anti-immigration advocates paint it. More likely, it will be a subdued mixture of U.S.-born Hispanics and transnational citizens who will be largely invisible most of the time, but will take to the streets if threatened by immigration opponents who often come across as hate mongers.

Perhaps he's right about "Latino Power" being a mostly underground movement. However, I don't think we should ignore or brush aside the anti-American sentiments espoused by that group.

Immigration reform is necessary and progress is being made in Washington. On the other hand, fighting intolerance with intolerance, as some Latino Power folks are doing, does nothing to help their cause.

Read the rest of Oppenheimer's column here.