An Arizona columnist who wrote sympathetically about immigrant children being snatched away from amnesty-seeking parents snapped back at her own readers for fiercely defending Donald Trump's right as president to take the kids and place them in detention centers.
Writing for AzCentral, Laurie Roberts admitted she was surprised at the outpouring of child-snatching support -- and then used her readers' own comments to illustrate the underlying racism behind the cold-hearted policy defended by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Monday.
Under a headline reading, "Readers show zero tolerance for immigrant kids torn from their parents," Roberts wrote, "I have been stunned by the outpouring of anger from readers over the Trump administration’s "zero-tolerance" policy of separating immigrant children from their parents after crossing the border illegally. Anger, at me, that is, for questioning how this administration can use the Bible to justify this immoral act."
Roberts stated that despite tragic news of children being torn from their parents, one reader expressed his belief that it was a good thing because Hispanic families are incapable of teaching their children proper sanitary habits.
“They're getting three meals a day, taught how to flush a toilet, how to brush their teeth, being educated, and going on field trips,” wrote John from pricey Scottsdale. “Seems to me they have it much better than they did with their parents, who couldn't teach them normal sanitation practices.”
Roberts then cited reader Richard, who wrote: “We feed them and put a roof over their head. Exactly what it says in the Bible! And if they (the parents) want to do it the right way, they apply in THEIR country FIRST before coming here and putting their children at risk!”
Another reader, who Roberts identified as "Ron, of Carefree, a supporter of caging kids," wrote that Trump is following in the footsteps of former President Ronald Reagan by taking the children hostage.
Calling Trump “the most successful president since Ronald Reagan,” Ron added, "Americans, by a wide margin, are sick of illegal immigration. Trump vowed to do something about it, before the United States becomes Los Angeles. Good for him," before revealing how he feels about immigrants from south of the border.
“Like most tax-payers, I’m weary of paying for the continuing swarm of illiterate, unskilled peasants pouring across our border. I'm equally sick of witnessing the damage done to our culture and our institutions,” Ron wrote to the columnist.
Pointing out that not all the readers made racist rants in the responses to her piece, Roberts concluded, "Sadly, the prevailing sentiment in my inbox over the weekend was cheers for the administration that rips children out of the arms of their parents."
You can read her column here.
You can watch some examples of Trump supporters expressing racist views below via YouTube: