Is reverse racism raising it's ugly head in the immigration debate?

[FormerRepublican]

I've read various posts on DU on illegal immigration. I even read a bunch of freeper posts on illegal immigration when I NEVER sully my eyes with the trash that infests that website. Personally, I think the growing demand for immigration controls is driven by economics and job losses in the US middle class. But inevitably, whenever I read ANY posts on what should be done about illegal immigration, I see all kinds of people pointing fingers and shouting racism back and forth.

When did loving your own country and it's citizens - formerly known as patriotism - become racism? When did support of American workers and their worries and concerns become racism? When did the expectation that other nations would act to solve their own problems without our input (and open borders) become racism?

To be honest, I'm tired of accusations of racism and when I hear them I immediately tune out those who are shouting that accusation. When I hear it enough, I just plain put those folks in my ignore file. What all those shouts of racism actually mean is "shut up" and "I don't care what YOU think!" So I stop listening.

Illegal immigration is an incredibly divisive issue, but I personally don't consider anyone who is looking after the interests of Americans to be racist since America is comprised of every race on the planet, and defense of Americans by defination means defense of all races. We are amazingly multicultural. Now if someone said "I put WHITE Americans first," I would be the first in line to shout "racist."

I think we need to have open discussion and debate on this issue, and that's not going to happen as long as folks point the finger and shout "racist" at every opportunity merely to silence debate and dissent.

But by all means - jump in on this thread and call me a racist. I need to add a few names to my ignore file...