Lucero case reopens discrimination complaints against Latinos before IACHR

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is holding a hearing that will bring renewed attention to the persistent discrimination and human rights violations faced by the Hispanic community in the United States. The hearing, spurred by the 2008 murder of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant killed in Long Island, New York, by a group of white youths, offers a platform to address ongoing violence against Latinos.

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It is something that cannot be forgotten, no matter how much time passes.

Marcelo Lucero was stabbed to death while walking with a friend at a train station. The perpetrators were reportedly targeting immigrants. His brother, Joselo Lucero, expressed satisfaction that the IACHR, after numerous attempts by the civil rights organization LatinoJustice, has scheduled the hearing. He views this as an opportunity to highlight how anti-immigrant campaigns have created conditions conducive to such violence, which he believes have not been adequately curbed.

"It is something that cannot be forgotten, no matter how much time passes," Joselo Lucero told EFE, emphasizing the enduring pain of his brother's death. He attributes his brother's murder to a long-standing racist campaign that falsely accuses immigrants of "invading" the country and "taking jobs," thereby fostering a hostile environment.

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It is something very important that is happening, but the main thing is that my family and I have an opportunity to express our disagreement with what happened to my brother.

Lucero plans to use the hearing to send a message not only within the U.S. but globally about the human rights abuses his community endures. "Eighteen years have passed (since my brother's death) and finally they have agreed to listen. I want the Commission to understand what our community is suffering by being accused of something that has no basis, never has," he stated. He refuted the notion that Hispanic immigrants are "stealing jobs," a narrative he contends is exploited by politicians for campaign purposes.

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Eighteen years have passed (since my brother's death) and finally they have agreed to listen. I want the Commission to understand what our community is suffering by being accused of something that has no basis, never has.

Lucero, who dedicates his time to educating in schools and communities about preventing discrimination and its consequences, believes politicians are primarily responsible for creating the inhospitable climate. He will be joined at the hearing by legal representatives from LatinoJustice and the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center to present their case to the Commission, which will examine whether the U.S. has fulfilled its human rights obligations.

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There is no doubt that this always happens, it is something that does not end and I do not know when it will end.