Working in a school with a large immigrant population, I have become very interested in our families that move to the United States looking for a better life for themselves and their children. I am amazed at all they endure and the risks they take in coming to this country. And, I am aware that some of them are illegal.
Hunting Season: Immigration and Murder in and All-American Town by Mirta Ojito is an up-close look at one man, Marcelo Lucero, an immigrant from Ecuador who was killed by a group of teenagers, out looking for an evening of nothing more than a Hispanic immigrant to hurt. Although Lucero's death was not premeditated, this young man who worked hard and sent money back to Ecuadro for his family, was stabbed and died.
Ojito introduces us to Lucero, his family, and the teenagers who participated in this hate crime. We also get a good picture of Patchogue, Long Island, a small safe town - at least to most people. The mayor of Patchogue is told about the fears that the immigrant population had and how they limited their activities after dark so as not to attract the attention of those looking to harm them.
Although this is a story of Lucero and the town of Patchogue, the events in this town speak to a bigger problem- that of hatred toward immigrants looking to make a better life by a group of people descended from immigrants themselves. Ojito shares data and research she has done about immigrants and crimes against them, providing an in depth look at a problem not unique to this one man or this one town.
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