By Kathleen McCann
A Kansas representative likened immigrants to feral swine on Monday during a discussion by the House Appropriations Committee on state spending for controlling Feral Swine.
Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro stated, “It looks to me, if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works maybe we have found a [solution] to our illegal immigration problem.”
Peck made his comment after another representative suggested the Kansas’ feral swine population be controlled by hunters shooting them from helicopters.
It may not be realistic to expect everyone to be sensitive and considerate towards issues such as immigration, but we should expect more from our elected officials.
At first, Peck refused to apologize stating, “I was just speaking like a southeast Kansas person,” apparently believing that everyone in his region thinks this way. Peck dealt with the situation as if he had just told a a really clever joke.
Peck’s idea of a “solution” sparked much more controversy than he expected. Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif. responded to Peck’s comment stating, “Advocating the killing or slaughter of any individual or group is no laughing matter, and I’m sure the good people of southeast Kansas would agree. We know all too well where that kind of unacceptable talk can lead.”
A national Hispanic Republican Organization, Somos Republicanos, put out a media advisory in response to Peck’s comment stating, “ in a time of extreme tension and occasional violence over illegal immigration, such as the slaughter of a Mexican- American family in Arizona including a nine-year-old girl, allegedly by Minutemen, elected officials should refrain from the use of violent metaphors.”
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) strongly condemned Peck’s comments.
NHMC President & CEO, Alex Nogales, stated:
“To Mr. Peck and all of our elected officials, know that we expect better from you. As government officials you speak with megaphones, and your messages have the power to incite and legitimize race-based violence. Especially at a time when hate crimes against Latinos are on the rise, you have a responsibility to remove the targets from our backs.”
Another representative, Charles Gonzalez, Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said Peck’s comments “were dehumanizing and inappropriate” and “could incite prejudices and biases that are harmful to our nation.”
With elected officials suggesting that immigrants be hunted like animals, is it any wonder that efforts to dehumanize immigrants though legislation and rhetoric are so successful?
Kathleen McCann is a DePaul University student studying journalism.