Readers offload bad feelings about immigrants

     At the end of Monday's column on candidates stoking fear against immigrants, in a fit of madness, I made two requests.
     First, these slurs are so general — someone somewhere doing something — that I invited xenophobic readers to send in specific stories of harm that actually happened to them, the real life incident that turned them against immigrants.
     Then, impulsively, I asked readers who are not hot to deport millions of hard-working would-be Americans why they look upon immigration positively, despite the suffering immigrants' presence supposedly brings.
     That second request was a last-minute afterthought, which is ironic, because the response ran 5-to-1 pro-immigrant.
     The original idea was to present the pros and cons in one column. But given the massive response, I decided to run the "Immigrants Bad" responses today, and the "Immigrants Good" sampler on Friday.
     Those opposed to immigration, as a rule, didn't understand the assignment — share something that actually happened to you — instead, like Tom Howard, regurgitating Fox News talking points. He came in hot:
     "I dislike the immigrants who break our law entering our country while thousands of immigrants doing it the right way waiting in line!
     "I dislike immigrants that enter illegally, who are taking over hotels and schools and disrupting American life.
     "I dislike immigrants that enter illegally and are bringing diseases and death to innocent Americans."
     There's more, but you get the idea. This passion for the rule of law —breathtaking, really — is a common thread.
     What struck me is how readily the bile is ingested, then regurgitated back. Consider this, from Tony Zucchero, a perennial correspondent:
     "We are Not Talking Legal Immigrants! We are talking about Criminal Illegal Aliens! You Ready, here we go! The Following are Facts! They are Raping, Murdering, Child Trafficking, Selling Drugs, Stealing, Beating, Robbing, Abusing American Citizens, Overwhelming Our Health Care System, Hospitals, Schools, Our Welfare System, Lowering Wages, They are Eating Our Pets, They are Taking Away Benefits, Housing and Medical from Our U.S Veterans, They are Raising the Cost of Insurance because they are Given Drivers Licenses Without the Requirements that American Citizens Have to go through to Obtain a Drivers License, Record Number of Automobile Accidents ..."

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