Oh Boy, Yet Another Ignorant and Insulting Immigration Cartoon from a US Newspaper

Just when you think editorial cartoonists from U.S. newspapers would have taken a pause after the Indy Star debacle last weekend, we present this week’s latest Immigration Ignorance entry from Rick McKee of the Augusta Chronicle.

A fan was reading the Sunday edition of the Press-Telegram (a Long Beach, California newspaper), when she snapped McKee’s syndicated cartoon:

Here is McKee’s cartoon in full color. It was first published online this past Friday:

(Screen grab: chronicle.augusta.com)

Will anyone ever learn?

We guess not.

Yeah, we know what people will say: well, McKee didn’t put mustaches on his family and they don’t “look Mexican.” That COULD be the Canadian border, others might say. (Then why didn’t the cartoonist say it? Why keep it vague?) That’s not the point, people, so let’s break it down for you:

• Immigrants = “border crossers.” We wonder when we will see the editorial cartoon showing a bunch of Europeans on a plane, plotting to overstay their visas. Because if you really want to know, it’s a pretty significant number. Yet no one wants to talk about that one or draw funny cartoons about it.
• We know President Obama has issues when it comes to immigration, but his latest executive action (which is temporary, by the way) has nothing to do with amnesty. Nothing. And no, the idea
• This is just another example of another cartoon by another “witty” cartoonist perpetuating the same stale stereotype that has been going one for years. Only few have the courage to call out these U.S. newspapers for allowing such views to be expressed without any counterbalance at all. We wonder why. Is it because that U.S. newspapers lack any real diversity or editors who could challenge such ignorance? You tell us.

This just needs to stop.