It's based on a long history of xenophobia and subjugation; this is the country that sent its Japanese citizens to concentration camps with the blessing of the

It's based on a long history of xenophobia and subjugation; this is the country that sent its Japanese citizens to concentration camps with the blessing of the Supreme court during WWII, and which needed special guidebooks to help African Americans find diners/hotels/gas stations/etc willing to serve them on road trips up until fairly recently. Plenty of countries deal with xenophobia and racism, but it always feels a little different in the US because as endemic as it is, people do ostensibly agree that it is wrong and strive to call out and condemn it. At least, I've always thought they did...