Aug. 12, 2005 – Amid reports of increased hate crimes and a growing anti-immigrant sentiment, the United States Census Bureau announced that Texas has joined the growing number of so-called "majority-minority" states ? where the combined population of non-whites exceeds the number of whites. Three other states and the District of Columbia are officially recognized as "majority-minority."
The Census Bureau report comes amid new activities by the anti-immigrant vigilante group the Minuteman Project, a doubling of crimes against Muslims and unresolved tensions over a black man two years ago.
Last month, the Texas Department of Public Safety released an annual report on crime showing that reported incidents of hate crimes declined as a whole between 2003 and 2004, while attacks on Muslims in the state doubled, from four to eight. Though there were ten fewer reported hate crimes, the report showed that the number of victims increased by 19, from 298 to 317.
Also last month, the Texarkana Gazette reported that officials with the African-American advocacy group NAACP were conducting an investigation into the possibility that hate crime charges could be filed against four men convicted of murdering a mentally retarded black man in 2003.
The NAACP says that there are at least 30 separate hate groups in the state, including ten chapters of the Ku Klux Klan.
According to Census figures, the Hispanic population is growing the fastest, jumping more than a quarter of a million between 2003 and 2004. At the same time, anti-immigrant groups like the Minuteman Project have gained in prominence in recent months.
Yesterday, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a group that patrols US border areas for undocumented immigrants, announced an upcoming week of training at cities throughout Texas. Last week, the Texas American Civil Liberties Union said it was seeking volunteers to monitor Minutemen activities in the state, the El Paso Times reported.
