Anti-Immigrant stances and Xenophobia

  In many First World countries today, much of the population has a distaste or even hatred for foreigners and immigrants, especially unskilled laborers. In many cases, it is the rulers of the place which had sanctioned or ignored these, even the more violent cases, treating them as "isolated incidents", and sometimes even declaring this stance publicly. Personally, I think it is often because of stereotypes and/or political/economical reasons.

  Those anti-immigration and/or anti-foreigners stance that many countries, states and cities is taking are often caused by or at least influenced by the ruling elite and/or the local population’s xenophobia due to their stereotypes that the new immigrants and/or foreigners were to blame for various social problems including, but not limited to, crime rates, unemployment among the local population, inadequate public services, et cetera. Often, this is not the case, but the population needs a scapegoat to  blame the host of social and ethnic problems on, causing racial, national and ethnical hatred, and, is fueled by extreme sentiments and radical elements/thoughts, may result in violence and/or discrimination. For example, in the American state of Texas, a Sikh student working part-time as a pizza delivery boy was assaulted by four white men, being thrown into a swimming pool and kicked at for 20 minutes. From the fact that his turban was kicked off, it could be told that they were targeting not only him, but his Sikh identity as well. Another example is the January series of attacks against migrants in Rosarno, Italy, which had a long history of tensions and even bloodshed between the migrants and the local Italians, leading to the series of attacks leaving to 37 casualties. A possible source that might have helped fueled the bloodshed is the heavy-handedness of the Italian center-right government against immigrants, illegal or otherwise. Surely the whole government could not be ignorant of the circumstances of the immigrants? But despite Italy being led by well-educated and free-thinking men, immigrant workers are living in inhumane conditions, unhealthy cabins without water or hygiene, further fueling the extremist and radical sentiments of immigrants.