The ideologies of racism and nativism affect people through racist hate crimes and overall humane treatment of immigrants and foreigners today, and must be changed by first changing anti-immigration attitudes in America. Social political and legal structures affect both immigrants and U.S. citizens and can only be changed by reforming the U.S. immigration system. Racial bias and nativism remain social issues that define our current reality and affect us all. Every day, American immigrants are victims of hate crimes like genocide because of their race and ethnicity (Wong 2). Genocide, “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group,” manifests itself in racial crimes of all degrees in America (Merriam-Webster 1). Of the 6,216 single-bias hate crime incidents reported in 2011, 46.9% were racially motivated and 11.6% stemmed from bias related to ethnic or national origin (FBI 1). Racist crimes are a major problem in America today that will only get worse over time if not stopped and changed. The ideologies of racism and nativism themselves must be modified in order to change the mindsets and actions of most Americans. Structural problems and barriers to racism cannot be expected to change without first a change in attitudes on the part of the American people. As a nation, we must get to the heart of immigration issues and find a way to rid our nation of this anti-immigration way of thinking. Instead of viewing immigration as "bad for our country" and "a threat to the America we know today," we Americans must understand that immigration primarily serves to benefit and improve the our country's already destitute economy and that immigrants make a more diverse contribution. ..... middle of paper...... The FBI December 10, 2012. The FBI Web. December 6, 2013. Legrain, Philippe and Myers, Joanne. “Immigrants: your country needs them. » Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Business. 2013. Internet. Carnegie Council. Internet. December 6, 2013. Marcotte, Amanda. “Arizona Law Affects More People Than Undocumented Immigrants.” Slate.com. nd The Slate Group. Internet. December 6, 2013. Merriam-Webster. "Genocide." Merriam Webster. 2013. Merriam-Webster. Internet. December 6, 2013. Wong, Jessica. “Racism in America has not disappeared.” The Herald Sun. October 29, 2013. The Herald Sun.Web. December 6 2013.