Discrimination and Xenophobia
While immigration has brought cultural enrichment, it has also exposed deeply rooted prejudices. Discrimination against immigrants, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, has persisted throughout American history. Xenophobic rhetoric and attacks surge in response to destabilizing events, such as 9/11 or COVID-19. In Texas and the United States, immigrants have faced hostility, prejudice, and systemic inequalities.
"img_4304" by steevithak is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Rais Bhuiyan
“I begged him not to shoot. And when he asked me, ‘Where are you from?’ I realized he was not here for money. He was there for me.”
Muna Hussaini
“He came into my office and threatened me and told me to go back home, because he was going to join the Air Force and bomb the hell out of me and my family and kill us all.”
Venancio Quinto
“Some of my colleagues are not friendly, because they thought I’m an alien, having an opportunity to come here. Some try to be nice, some aren’t. But I told myself it’s a part of the game, being an immigrant.”
Obaid Zia
“At some point, I had to realize that whoever we are, wherever we’re from, we don’t have any less of a right to be here or to exist in these spaces than any White man whose ancestors have been here for 200 years.”
Jaime “Mujahid” Fletcher