"They should just shoot them all"

I had an interesting conversation with a taxi driver today as I got a ride to the theatre where a friend and I met up to watch a film. I missed my bus and wasn't sure when the next one came so I took a cab.

Anyways, the guy driving it was very outspoken about the illegal migration. I asked him what he thinks of it and the answer came out right away- "They should just shoot them all". He told me that every migrant is a criminal and criminals should be shot. They are also "a bunch of freeloading bums". I asked him why he thinks migrants come to the States. According to him, they come to go on welfare, with the exception of "a few" who work. He went on to tell me that every country that Spain ever conquered is corrupt, and that the Spanish themselves are also corrupt in Europe. He said the same is true of Italians and blacks. The only countries that are not corrupt are white, anglo-saxon nations like the UK, Australia, Canada and the United States. He told me that the only time South Africa was not corrupt was when "white people" ruled it, and "it was good for the blacks, even if they couldn't vote". All Arab nations are repressive and the whole middle east is backwards, except Israel "that can kick ass whenever it wants".

There was a lot I could have pointed out and his rant was so absurd I didn't know where to begin so partially because I don't know my way around Tucson and didn't want to get kicked out and partially because I was a bit curious how far this could go, I just listened. The part that got to me most was the assertion that the migrants come to the US to go on welfare... crossing for 5 to 7 days in the desert, being burnt by the sun, cut by thorns and sharp rocks, risking death and abuse... to go on welfare? Apartheid was a good thing for black people? I am not a supporter of the governments of any Arab countries because they are human rights abusers... no less than Israel though. This was one of the few times I experienced such unbridled racism, and it shook me up. I felt it was not a good time to mention either my involvement with No More Deaths or Slavic ancestry.

Most people in Tucson I have spoken to are sympathetic to migrants, and I made a point of asking this of non-hispanic people I meet on the street who are not affiliated with No More Deaths. This kind of hatred and racism is a first that I witnessed but it was pretty scary. I hope God frees him from such hate, and that no migrant or other vulnerable non-anglo-saxon person comes across him. I have heard of some neo-nazi groups in Arizona, that also patrol the border and look for migrants. From what I know, they are few and hopefully full of hot air more than anything else. Hatred and racism is a cancer and a person full of hate is incapable of knowing God. It binds and imprisons the racist in a far more serious way than his or her targets.