By Kierra Johnson

Conservatives are blaming marginalized people for social problems again, and this week it’s because of a terrible, yet isolated crime that was reported over the weekend. Hiuder Pedro Javier Sacul Caal, who is a 21-year-old undocumented migrant, was arrested over the weekend for the sexual assault of a minor. If the alleged charge is true, then Caal’s arrest was definitely justified, but conservatives’ reactions to his arrest are not. The most popular posts on social media that mention Caal’s arrest are full of comments that are calling for mass deportation and a full crackdown on the US-Mexico border. How these proposed solutions would rid Virginia or any place on Earth of people who enact sexual violence on people is still a mystery.

Several people who are aware of this conversation took to social media to point out all of the ways that the typical profile of a rapist has nothing to do with immigration status. In fact, the average profile of a rapist is usually a man who is a citizen of the United States, the majority of them being white men. To this point, conservatives like to double down on their xenophobia, as if it’s better for these types of crimes to be committed by citizens. 

The conservative approach to this conversation is hypocritical for a couple of reasons and the first is the treatment of sexual assault and domestic abuse victims in the United States. For example, backlogs for rape kits in many states can be dated to attacks that happened some years prior, or even decades. Women, men, and children who report their attackers and abusers are rarely believed to the point of action. In Virginia specifically, four men were accused of violence against women, and three of them went on to run in November’s general election. There are too many more examples of this behavior from those who perpetrate violence onto people, and the outcomes of the cases betray the anger that conservatives feel when migrants commit the exact same crimes. Again, justice is needed, and victims need to be protected, but the actions taken need to be consistent regardless of identity.

Another reason why conservatives’ approach to justice is hypocritical is that, somehow, conversations about sexual assault have led to the intentional spreading of lies, such as immigrants coming to America to vote. There is absolutely no way that a person can vote if they are not a U.S. citizen, and even those who are citizens are battling a crumbling voting infrastructure. The theory that immigrants are being used to increase numbers for any party is deliberate disinformation that conservatives lack real reasoning behind their disdain for immigrants.

Conservatives are never going to give up on their intolerant narratives, which is why there needs to be a focus on positive change within the systems that are actually causing the issues that get blamed on immigrants. A system that would believe sexual assault victims and handle immigrants who are seeking asylum with care would discuss the processes needed to prevent crimes like Caal’s. Democrats are fighting to keep their current majority so that Virginia can push for progressive legislation that would lead to drastic changes in the way that crime is handled. Research the progressive candidates who are running in your district and follow them for information on their platforms. The closer we get to November, the more crucial it will be for voters to make sure that they are registered and to know exactly what their candidates stand for. Showing up and voicing the need for change is the only way to truly have a positive effect on conversations like these, where the focus should be action and prevention rather than bigotry and collective punishment.