SAN DIEGO , California ( CNN ) -- In a recent commentary , I wrote that , as a Mexican-American , the ugliness of the immigration debate offends me -- not as a Mexican , but as an American . Ruben Navarrette Jr. lists 10 things U.S.-born Hispanics find distasteful about the immigration debate . A woman wrote in and asked me to be more specific : Just what was it about the immigration debate that was so ugly ? She came to the right place . After nearly 20 years of writing opinions and insisting that I do n't speak for all Hispanics , in recent months , I 've heard from hundreds of Hispanics who -- appreciative of my middle-ground approach to the immigration issue -- insist that I can speak for them anytime . So , with the authority vested in me , I 'll now share some of what other Hispanics are saying . It 's not far off from what Janet Murguia had to say . As president of the National Council of La Raza , the largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States , Murguia recently delivered an important speech to the National Press Club . The topic : the immigration debate and what she called a wave of hate sweeping the land -- one that is n't limited to illegal immigrants , but which is now affecting all Hispanics regardless of where they were born , what language they speak or what flag they salute . The way Murguia sees it , immigration is `` on the verge of becoming one of the largest civil rights issues of our generation . '' And , Hispanics are playing the piñata . Murguia was right on the button . To borrow a phrase , it 's getting ugly out there . And U.S.-born Hispanics see it as plain as day . Here are 10 things they find distasteful about this debate : . • The hypocrisy . We have two signs on the U.S.-Mexican border : `` Keep Out '' and `` Help Wanted . '' • The racism . With lightning speed , the debate went from anti-illegal immigrant to anti-immigrant to anti-Mexican . • The opportunism . Too many politicians are trying too hard to portray themselves as tough on illegal immigration . • The simple solutions . `` Build A Wall . '' `` Deport All Illegals . '' A quick rule of thumb : If it fits on a bumper sticker , it 's not a workable policy . • The naiveté . People ask why Mexico wo n't help stop illegal immigration . Hint : Last year , Mexicans in the United States sent home $ 25 billion . • The profiling . Dark skin and Spanish surnames should n't be proxies for undocumented status . Been to Arizona lately ? • The meanness . Nazi-produced Internet video games let players shoot illegal immigrants crossing the border . Fun stuff . • The amnesia . Americans think grandpa was welcomed with open arms and that he plunged into the melting pot . Whatever . • The buck-passing . Americans love to blame Mexico for their choices , yelling across the border : `` Stop us before we hire again . '' • The double standard . The same folks who have zero tolerance for illegal immigrants easily tolerate those who hire them . Some of this is painfully familiar , recalling earlier versions of this debate as it played out a hundred or two hundred years ago . Hispanics are the new Germans , the new Irish , the new Italians . But it 's also ugly . It was then . It is now . Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune and a nationally syndicated columnist . Read his column here . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer . E-mail to a friend .
the National Press Club shares what Mexican readers are saying to him . He lists two things he says they find ugly about the immigration debate . Ruben Navarrette Jr. , racism are 10 items they find distasteful , columnist says .