I grew up in a rural Arizona town in the 70s. Lots of cotton and citrus ranching. [View All]

[blondeatlast]

Consequently, lots of migrants; there simply weren't enough citizens to accomplish the work. Even though many citizens, including many Anglos, would work in the fields in summer for extra income, there just weren't enough workers to sustain the economy. So the migrants came from El salvador and Mexico.

So I went to school with plenty of children of migrant workers. I played with them, they attended my and my friends' birthday parties, and at the end of the season, we hugged and promised we'd see each other next year. They worked in the fields with their families often, too. There was little resentment of them, most of that came from the winter visitors who rarely saw a (gasp!) Mexican.

I'm truly baffled by what has happened since I left Coolidge/Randolph. My experience was that virtually no one paid a second thought to where the workers came from--in fact, in summer, after the snowbirds left, local biz was grateful for the income.

Let me repeat, I am absolutely baffled by what happened. I support unions--and I supported the occasional strikes that occurred in the fields. I became a huge fan of Cesar Chavez. These were friends--yes, they were dirt poor, but in a town based on agriculture, that wasn't so unusual to have the classes mixed (we all attended the same school).

Where did the hate come from? I honestly don't remember encountering anything but mild grumbles from the snowbirds while growing up. This is just my story, anecdotal (but very emotional, I can't help that, I needed to say it)to be sure, but I honestly don't understand what happened? When did migrant workers (many of whome we very well knew came from Mexico and El salvador) become "illegals"?

When did it become okay to deny Constituutional rights (nowhere, but nowhere, does it say the Constitution applies only to citizens, btw)? to openly hate those who try to earn an honest, meager living?

What have I missed?