In Sheriff’s Race, Let’s Stop Making Immigrants into Scapegoats

The Putnam County Sheriff race disturbingly reflects the heated tone we have been witnessing at town hall meetings nationwide. Candidates Borkowski, DeStefano, and McConville have contributed to the angry atmosphere by squarely focusing on “the immigrant problem.” Are there illegal immigrants in Putnam County? Yes, there are illegal immigrants throughout the entire country. Are they all Hispanic? No. In fact, there are illegal immigrants from most of the countries in Europe, but no politicians are singling them out.

Candidates Borkowski, DeStefano, and McConville should recognize that it is irresponsible and dangerous to use immigration as a plank for any political platform, given the history of discrimination against immigrants in this country. A short history lesson might cause some to be more temperate in discussions about immigration.

The first Polish immigrants to arrive in this country of ours were artisans. These soapmakers and glassblowers brought their respective crafts across an ocean to a strange new world where a new life awaited. A minority group in colonial America, Poles would have to wait for their own political voice. That did not hinder their opportunity for conspicuous bravery, as both Kazimierz Pulaski and Tadeusz Kosciusko came from Poland to fight for American independence during the Revolutionary War. Pulaski has often been credited with saving Washington’s Army at the Battle of the Brandywine. He died at 31, still fighting for our independence at the Battle of Savannah.

Kosciusko, a self-taught engineer, fought valiantly at the Battle of Saratoga, the turning point of the war. His next assignment came as a result of his recommendation to General Washington by Benjamin Franklin: Kosciusko selected the location and oversaw the construction and fortification of West Point. Washington would later refer to this as “the most important post in the country.” A statue of Kosciusko stands prominently overlooking the Hudson on the grounds of West Point today, as a tribute to the man that Thomas Jefferson once called “as true a son of liberty as I have ever known.”

Despite this patriotic legacy, some 100 years later, anti-Polish sentiment reared its ugly head by the end of the 19th beginning of the 20th century. Crimes against these new immigrants were routine and discrimination at many work places was typical.

Although several Italians, namely Columbus, Vespucci, Cabot, and Verrazano weigh in heavily with regards to the discovery of this nation, it meant little to the Italian immigrants who came to this country after the Civil War and into the 20th century. The Nativist Movement was alive and well in the form of the A.P.A., or American Protective Association, with its 500,000 members nationwide. Descended from the earlier “Know Nothing” Party (a nickname attached to the organization based upon the directive given members to respond to authorities “I know nothing”), Italians were characterized as potentially violent, anarchists, and allegedly connected to the Mafia. Yet, the Italian immigrant persevered. Much marble and stonework throughout this country can be attributed to these artisans, not unlike the stonework we see today by many Hispanic laborers. When you ride the subways of the City of New York, keep in mind that the Italian immigrants, at a starvation wage, performed the backbreaking task of hand digging those tunnels.

Ironically, stereotypical depictions of the Irishman as a drunken, shiftless, character didn’t stop him and many of his countrymen from heroically giving their lives during the Civil War or the many wars that followed. Many died in mines such as those at Tilly Foster. Still more helped create the New York Aqueduct Water System, digging the pipelines that provide water to the greater New York area, many proudly bearing the nickname “tunnel rats.” Also noteworthy is the fact that Irishmen filled the ranks of the first fire departments and police departments for a nation where, during the same time period, the 1850s, “NINA” (No Irish Need Apply) signs were a common sight in many businesses large and small.

Remembering all of this troubling history, a real lawman would step in front of an angry mob to prevent any violent actions against a person, citizen and illegal immigrant alike. Remember, gentlemen, that you may be targeting illegals with your words, but some violent bigot may not make the distinction. According to a June 2009 article in the Washington Post, hate crimes against Hispanic/Americans have risen 40 percent between 2004 and 2007. I’m willing to bet that the majority of those victims were not illegal aliens.

I would no more expect the Sheriff of Putnam County to be responsible for the workings of a federal agency than I would expect the County Executive to take on the problems associated with global warming. Focus on the real issues that affect all of us: How can we prevent young people from killing themselves in cars on the roads of Putnam County? How can we stop adults, both young and old, from getting behind the wheel drunk risking the lives of their passengers or other drivers on the road? How can we better protect our elderly residents from phone scams and those that would prey on the weak? How can we better protect children from pedophiles? How can we locate a Putnam County youth named Robin Murphy who has been missing for 14 years since April of 1995? Sheriff Don Smith has dedicated his eight-year career in law enforcement and thirty-seven years in public service to these very issues. I suggest you do the same if you wish to be considered as worthy candidates for any public office.

Mr. Ricci is a lifelong Putnam County resident, former Putnam Valley Town Board member, Town Historian for the Town of Putnam Valley, and a Social Studies teacher at Mahopac High School.