Having ‘Mexican’ as Default Label for All Latinos Harms Plight of Central American Refugees Marisa Trevino - LatinaLista
go to original May 1, 2017

According to a Pew report, data reveals that for the first time, since at least 2005, Mexicans aren’t a majority of the undocumented. Two other groups now claim that dubious title: Central Americans and Asians. 2016 U.S.-Mexico border data shows that more non-Mexicans were caught by Border Patrol than Mexicans.

The reasons vary for the Mexican course reversal: the recession, a crackdown on immigration enforcement, fear of border cartel violence, an improving home economy – the list goes on. The bottom line is that Mexicans should no longer be used as the scapegoat for what is a refugee crisis happening on our southern doorstep.

But the frustrating reality is that, in all likelihood, Mexicans will still be faulted for breaching the southern border because to Trump and all his anti-immigrant colleagues Latinos are all the same — and it’s our fault.

Over the years, when it was realized that political influence and respect was garnered by those groups with the largest numbers, we, as a collective whole, willingly put aside our claims of individual pride, and adopted, if not grudgingly, the generic labels of Hispanic, Latino, and nowadays, Latinx.

It was our way to forge a new identity that honored our Latin/Hispanic roots while creating clout in our own country. But in the process, we forgot to educate our fellow Americans that deep differences exist within the Spanish-speaking world.

For that reason, ‘Mexican’ is the default label for anything related to undocumented immigrants, brown-skinned Spanish-speakers, Dreamers or criminal immigrants.

Read the rest at LatinaLista

Related: He Lost Everything Trying to Reach the U.S. — and Still Has 1,000 Miles to Go (Salon)

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