Why Are We Out to Destroy Our Diversity?

On the streets of Manassas, two residents told a Post reporter that they prefer empty homes to the immigrant neighbors who lived there before ["A New View of Vacant Houses," Metro, April 21]. Now Frederick County, Md., is considering actions similar to those in Prince William County, which may lead to more vacant homes [front page, May 6]. While I shudder at the picture that these Manassas residents painted of drunken men fighting and urinating on the lawn, it is hard for me to believe that such behavior took place at the majority of the homes now left empty. It simply doesn't ring true with what I've seen over the past 20 years.

Their comments make clear the sad fact that an entire group, Hispanic immigrants, is being painted with the broad strokes of the undesirable behavior of a few. That's called stereotyping, and when it is combined with scapegoating -- placing problems from noise to overcrowding to gangs at the feet of Hispanic immigrants -- it is truly frightening.

Let's look at some of the problems often cited regarding illegal immigrants:

· Noise. My husband, a middle-aged white guy, cranks up the oldies station pretty loud outside when he's gardening. A teenage band practices in a garage nearby, quiet loud, quite often. But all that seems to be acceptable. Is it the loud music or the type of loud music that is unacceptable?

· Too many cars. Have you ever been in a middle-class neighborhood when all the kids are home from college with their cars, parked next to the cars that every high-schooler seems to require, parked next to the individual car of every adult driver? No one seems to complain about the number of cars in front of these houses. Perhaps it's the trucks or older cars that many immigrants drive, rather than the number of cars.

· Hanging around outside. There is a garden apartment complex a few miles from my home in Springfield that is largely Latino. The balconies, which face the road, are often full of adults and children loudly enjoying the outdoors (even when most of us deem it too hot). Is that a lifestyle we should condemn -- or one we should envy nostalgically, thinking back to the days when neighbors knew each other and enjoyed each other's company on a regular basis?

· Gangs. Yes, unfortunately, some immigrant children are lured into gangs, perhaps by the sense of community that they are not finding around them. And if we continue to build a hostile environment around immigrant students and their families, we push them into these waiting arms.

I have seen firsthand how our communities are enriched by immigrant families. In my work with immigrant parents of high schoolers, I am overwhelmed by their commitment to their families. We American-born parents could learn much from the immigrant parents who insist that families spend weekends together and who still get hugs from their teenage sons. Their children are part of the mosaic that creates a rich, diverse learning environment in our schools, which research shows helps all students learn to think more deeply, be better problem-solvers and work more effectively in collaborative groups -- essential 21st-century skills.