| Politics
of Exclusion, Prejudice |
| The politics of exclusion, discrimination and prejudice
were shown to be alive and well this week with the continuing
spread of local anti-immigrant policies from Prince William
County to Loudoun County. |
| The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors rushed through a
vote Tuesday to deny services to illegal and undocumented
immigrants. The resolution directs county staff to investigate
which services can be legally denied in preparation for another
vote in September. |
| The attitude Loudoun officials have chosen to take toward
immigrants and the policies that Prince William, Loudoun and
other communities around the nation have enacted promote a
society in which people view their neighbors with suspicion,
not friendliness. |
| People who are legally authorized to live and work in our
community will have good reason to be afraid of established
American citizens, and instead of building strong social foundations
will shy away from the very institutions we hope they embrace,
such as police, medical care and education. |
| Worse yet, American citizens are being led to view people
who don't speak English or who dress differently than they
as possible threats to their way of life, even as practical
experience shows otherwise. |
| As politicians jump on the anti-immigrant train to try to
protect themselves against voters in upcoming elections, the
best track for the voters is to disregard hateful rhetoric
and embrace their neighbors. |
