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Steve King Is Fighting Demographic Changes Among His Own Constituents

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Renowned anti-immigrant extremist Steve King is at it again. King’s latest blatant anti-Latino rant was reported by Sahil Kapur at Bloomberg:

“It’s very close to where we need to start sorting presidential candidates down on that line,” said Representative Steve King of Iowa, an outspoken immigration hawk. “The immigration issue is an existential threat to the constitutional republic of the United States. If we continue this cultural transformation through a willful immigration policy, America is unrecognizable in the very short-term. … So it’s that big a threat, which means we have to have a president who gets this right.”

Francisco Valadez, a graduate of Sioux City West High School, registers protesters to vote out side a Donald Trump event held at his former high school. Sioux City West High School is one of the most diverse high school in Steve King's District.
Francisco Valadez, a graduate of Sioux City West High School, registers protesters to vote out side a Donald Trump event held at his former high school. Sioux City West High School is one of the most diverse high schools in Steve King’s District.

By unrecognizable, King, of course means more people of color. Steve King has chosen to fight the demographic changes. Maybe it’s unrecognizable to him. For most of us, it’s the story of America.

But here’s an idea: Steve King should check out his own Congressional District. I live in King’s and we, like much of America, are experiencing demographic changes.

Last week, students at West High School in Sioux City organized a protest against Donald Trump’s bullying. At West High School, which is in the biggest city in King’s district, “33% of the student body is Hispanic.”

And, then there’s Storm Lake, not too far from where King grew up, which was profiled for its diversity by The Des Moines Register:

Places far removed from traditional urban gateways are rapidly becoming some of the most diverse places in America.

In practical terms seen through daily life in Storm Lake, it means growth in the local economy and in school enrollments. Officials say it also has brought an understanding of a wide variety of people and cultures and one heck of an annual Fourth of July parade.

“It all comes together on the Fourth of July, when everybody is wearing their native dress and marching proudly as they celebrate both where they came from and their home,” said Mark Prosser, Storm Lake public safety director. “We’ve got so many cultures here it is amazing. Hispanic, Asian, African, Native American, Dutch … it goes on and on. It’s beautiful to see.”

Storm Lake public schools are more than 80 percent non-white, with 18 languages spoken. The parochial schools are nearly 50 percent non-white. Iowa Central Community College, which teaches English to adults, helps residents who speak as many as 35 different native languages.