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Who Will You Blame When You Can’t Blame Immigrants Anymore?

If the people you blame for all that ails you cease to exist, then you’re responsible for what happens to you.

René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH
6 min readDec 27, 2024
Photo by Alejandro Cartagena 🇲🇽🏳‍🌈 on Unsplash

This week, a man in New York City walked up to a woman on the subway and set fire to her clothing. The woman died in one of the most horrible ways imaginable. According to verified news reports, the man was seen nearby as first responders attempted to save the woman. Hours later, he was arrested in a different part of the subway system.

City officials have identified the man as an undocumented (“illegal”) immigrant from Guatemala. He was already deported once, only to find himself back in New York City and commit this heinous act. Almost as if on cue, the xenophobia and racism overflowed on the internet, and in real life. To many, this was another example of why the United States should seal off the border and keep “illegals” out.

Of course, there are people who want to take things one step further. They want no one from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, or Latin America to come to the United States. They don’t even want some people from certain parts of Europe. And whoever does come, according to them, must follow a religious and political ideology that fits the “Judeo-Christian” foundations of the United States.

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René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH
René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH

Written by René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH

DrPH in Epidemiology. Public Health Instructor. Father. Husband. "All around great guy." https://linktr.ee/rene.najera

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