Whether Hitler personally ever murdered someone with his own hands might remain unclear.  That his rhetoric was murderous is a fact.

When politicians such as congressman Tancredo (R-CO) refer to immigrants as a ‘plague that scours our nation’, and media pundits such as CNN’s Lou Dobbs daily attack immigrants, while dismissing ‘hate crimes’ as unrelated criminal activity constitutes a woeful attempt to whitewash their own rhetoric of hate.

On November 8, Marcelo Lucero an Ecuadorean immigrant was murdered by a gang of seven high school students  who decided to entertain themselves by going out to ”beat up some Mexicans”.

The fact of this hate crime taking place in Long Island should be seen in the context of a decade of tensions between immigrants and long time residents resenting their presence.  That area was termed back in 2005 as a ”red zone” in the abuse of immigrants according to the Mexican Consulate in New York as quoted by the Washington Post.

Anti- Hispanic bias as a determining motive has registered a marked increase as per records of the FBI since 2003.  In 2007 alone the FBI registered 595 incidents of anti-Hispanic bias. The fact of such an increase mirroring the immigration debate, mass immigrant rallies, and harsh enforcement by immigration authorities hasn’t escaped the notice of mainstream media and human rights advocates.

On the other hand we are heartened by the NY Gov. David Paterson’s words when acknowledging the danger and the woes of our society refers to this recent crime as “a jarring reminder that we must…continue to fight to eradicate prejudice in our words and in our actions.”