Institutionalized racism major concern in US immigration battle

Hackers in Miami targeted an electric billboard, placing the slogan “No Latinos, No Tacos” on a flashing construction sign on a major roadway in south Florida.

“This is one attack in a long historical process of attacks against the Latino community,” said Ron Gochez, a Latino community activist in Los Angeles.

Gochez said that such incidents are nothing new and that he is more worried about the expansion of institutionalized occurrences of racism in America, such as the Arizona immigration law and other laws coming from federal, state and local governments.

“President Obama, who promised us hope and change in his campaign in 2008, he did change something. He ordered today these troops to come down to the border. This is a something that’s a military attack against the communities of these border regions,” said Gochez.

Additional troops could lead to additional attacks and deaths at the border.

“This is coming officially from the government, from the Democratic Party administration, who promised us hope and change but has given us nothing more than repression, more deportations, more arrests,” said Gochez.

Gochez said the only solution to the problem is immigration reform and the political leadership of the United States must recognize this or they will lose the support of the Latino community.

“No legalization, no reelection,” said Gochez.