Backlash For Crowning Illegal Immigrants In 2007

A major Texas newspaper is being bombarded with criticism and threats of boycott from outraged longtime subscribers for naming illegal immigrants as the state’s citizens of the year in a much-hyped editorial.

In the lengthy end of 2007 editorial the Dallas Morning News wrote quite a tear-jerker naming the illegal immigrant as Texan of the year for, among other things, being decent and hardworking people, brining the state prosperity and hustling to do hard work Americans won’t do.

The piece goes on to say that America’s consumer economy depends on illegal immigrants and that the nation cannot survive without them. Yet illegal aliens must endure hatred and abuse by those who benefit from their cheap labor and they are blamed for using public resources—schools and hospitals—to which they aren’t entitled.

No mention of the violent illegal immigrants who murdered, raped and committed other atrocious crimes against Americans in 2007, however. They include cop murderers, a pair of Mexicans who in separate incidents killed innocent Americans—an entire family and a college athlete–while driving drunk on U.S. highways and the execution-style shootings of four youths in a Newark schoolyard by an illegal alien free on bail on child rape charges.

The Dallas newspaper’s editorial board said it expected some criticism for its year-ender, but never the massive outrage among readers statewide. The paper received more than 150 letters and nearly 1,000 blog postings critical of the editorial. Many threatened to cancel subscriptions or pressure advertisers to stop doing business with the paper.

One reader wrote that it was an “asinine article” and another called the writers stupid for supporting illegal aliens and putting everyone in danger. Oblivious editors say they were very surprised at the nastiness of the backlash. A Dallas illegal immigrant activist praised the newspaper for its courage, however.