Posted: 11:28 am Tuesday, October 28th, 2014


Lake Worth newspaper: City’s “illegal aliens” just “sponge off the society”

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By Opinion Staff

An editorial published in the Lake Worth Herald on Oct. 23.

Lake Worth’s historic hometown paper is taking heat for publishing a rant against the town’s large population of Guatemalan immigrants, accusing them of “spong(ing) off the society.”

In an editorial published Oct. 23, the Lake Worth Herald accuses illegal immigrants from Guatemala of “rais(ing) the cost of basic services for everyone without contributing themselves.”

It goes on to lecture that “they need to learn it is not ok to use the backyard as a bathroom and leave the toilet in the house plugged up.”

The editorial declares: “Here in the United States, we have learned to live a cleanlie (sic) life than the third world country they come from.”


Protestors outside PBSO’s Lake Worth substation on Oct. 22.

The editorial was written in response to a recent protest against the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, which polices Lake Worth. A sheriff’s deputy has been accused of physically abusing Augusto Garcia, a Guatemalan immigrant who called 911 to report a crime.

That incident is under investigation, and activists have called for the deputy to be disciplined.

In its editorial, the Herald criticizes the Lake Worth-based Guatemalan-Maya Center, a non-profit group that assists Guatemalan immigrants.

“If in fact the (Guatemalan Mayan Center) initiated these complaints and protests or even condones them, they should have all public sources of funding withheld,” the editorial states. “Law-abiding taxpayers should not have their hard-earned money promoting filth.”

The editorial has stirred up outrage in the city, one of South Florida’s most diverse. On a Facebook community page, several Lake Worth residents ambasted the editorial.

One resident called it “disgusting.” Another said that it was “bigoted garbage.”

The Herald, one of Florida’s oldest weeklies, began publishing in 1912. It is Lake Worth’s newspaper of record, publishing the city government’s public notices.

The editorial is behind a paywall on the newspaper’s website. But an outraged Lake Worth resident provided a photo of the article. Click the image below to read it. You can also see an image of it on Facebook here.

What do you think of the editorial? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

http://opinionzone.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2014/10/28/lake-worth-newspaper-citys-illegal-aliens-just-sponge-off-the-society/