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Dear Kathy, I can't begin to imagine how you are coping right now. You are one strong and courageous woman. You have been through way too much unfairness and inhumanity towards your family again and again. It has to be enraging. Who wouldn’t be enraged in your shoes? My heart is with you and your family.
There is no doubt a non-ethnic person would have been allowed to put the plate on his truck and drive away. I hope your husband’s boss and customer gave him some slack and he still has his job.
I think racial tensions are on the upswing. It has always existed and it has been worse in some places that others. Those of Latino ancestry are collateral damage to controversial immigration policies and those of Arab ancestry are collateral damage to 911 and subsequent events. Others who 'resemble' Latino or Arab are also caught up in the damage.
Native Americans are seeing an increase too. A friend of mine was held at the US Mexican border for hours with no explanation. It turned out the US customs officers didn't believe he was Canadian. They discounted his status card. They were determined to profile him Mexican and suspect him of coming in illegally.
Fear dominates a lot of our thoughts and actions today. Fear-based profiling is now common place. It is becoming justifiable as the tensions grow. The instability, the uncertainty, the stress and worry of our times is feeding into existing racial tensions and creating it where it may not have been a concern before.
I wonder if non-Mexicans are labeled illegal aliens if they come into the US illegally? It seems to me other nationalities are referred to as 'illegal immigrants'.
I pray things get better for you soon Kathy.
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