Dear Fellow Marylanders,

I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of people attacking immigrant or ethnic communities with make-believe stories intent on scaring Americans and distracting them from other issues they might care about or that have more impact on their day-to-day lives. It’s also dangerous and disruptive.

This week, after the Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, was mentioned negatively in the presidential debate, town offices and local schools had to shut down at least two days in a row due to bomb scares. The Springfield News-Sun reports that “According to the city, an email that was sent at 7:21 a.m., ‘targeted several City Commissioners and a city employee.’ A second email at 7:45 a.m. targeted several schools as well at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Ohio License Bureau Southside. All affected buildings were evacuated according to the city.“

The hate and quick jumps to violent measures need to stop. There are more than 46 million foreign-born residents in our country. We should be embracing our neighbors and the rich diversity they bring to our communities — and our economy — rather than targeting anyone with hate.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen this playbook during previous elections. As Maya Wiley of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights described, “once again we are witnessing a coordinated effort to scapegoat immigrants and communities of color for political gain.”

Legislative and partisan intransigence and bluster helps fuel angry rhetoric that drives the talk of violence and other extreme measures. Having elected leaders lead the charge in dehumanizing one group of people to build up another is simply wrong. We can lift each other up and all be better for it.

I know that we can protect America’s national security and show empathy and compassion for others. Making up stories and spreading misinformation about immigrant communities helps no one. Springfield, Ohio, is just the latest example.

And, for the record, when it comes to public safety, a recent study of 150 years of data from the U.S. Census Bureau – yes, 150 years – shows that immigrants in the U.S. are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born residents. This statistic is often ignored by those who find the facts inconvenient. The reality is that crime rates decreased in our largest cities as immigration rates increased from 1970 to 2019.

For the health of our nation, we need to stop the violence and hate. We need to set aside the tropes and tall tales and come together in a way that upholds our shared American values of freedom, compassion, fairness and opportunity. The bright beacon of the American Dream is still beaming brightly for those born in this country and others around the world. If we can only put the ugliness in the rear-view mirror.

Thank you for your time. Please feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts on this topic or any other. I value your feedback.

In solidarity,

Ben Cardin