US Immigration Policy: A Classic, Unappreciated Example of Structural Racism

Charles Kamasaki                                                                                                                                                   

As we view images of families and unaccompanied children attempting to flee violence in their home countries for a better life here, one cannot help but wonder if they weren’t from Latin America but white immigrants from Europe, would they be treated differently? Examining immigration policy through a systemic racism lens reveals that today’s largely Latino undocumented immigrants face far harsher   consequences than white Europeans of years past for the same exact offense of unauthorized entry. A system that treats immigrants differently solely to their race is essentially the textbook definition of structural racism...

Click here to read the full article on the Brookings Institution page.