More than six weeks have passed since federal agents knocked on the door of illegal immigrant Sayda Umanzor and tore her away from her nursing baby.

And still, the ugly responses from readers keep coming.

So often, the letters and calls begin with the conservative mantra: "What part of 'illegal' don't you understand?"

A word to the lemmings: Whenever you let a talk show pundit do your thinking, at least two minds are going to waste. "Illegal" does not mean "subhuman" — in any language.

Umanzor was living near Cleveland with her husband and three children, two of whom were born in America, when she was separated for 11 days from her nursing daughter. Her breasts became engorged, and she had back pain and chills, too. She was also sick with worry for her children.

Dozens of activist women petitioned on Umanzor's behalf, and the government changed its policy. For now, at least, illegal immigrants who are nursing mothers will not be separated from their children.

This did not sit well with a lot of Americans, whose names telegraphed a curious lack of awareness about their own family history. Readers named Fitzgerald, for example, and Connors, Lucarelli, Keenan, Polchek, Hermann and Skocdopole. Where do they think their people came from? The Dakotas? These readers apparently think their emigrating ancestors were on the receiving end of America's eager embrace. Historically, we know this isn't true for most.

The current xenophobia in our country is new only in its particulars. David Herbert Donald, in his biography of Abraham Lincoln, reminds us that it was "native-born Protestants" who feared the influx of so many Catholic immigrants in the mid-1800s. So they started the Know-Nothing movement, which advocated lengthening the term for naturalization and restricting the rights of the Catholic Church.

As Donald noted, "The United States began with the declaration that all men are created equal; it now was practically read as 'all men are created equal, except negroes ' and if the Know Nothings gained control it would read 'all men are created equal except negroes, and foreigners and catholics .'" Fitzgerald, Connors, Lucarelli, Keenan: You paying attention here?

Author James Chace reminded us that former President Woodrow Wilson despised Italians, Hungarians and Poles. In 1902, before he became president, Wilson wrote: "Now there came multitudes of men of the lowest class from the south of Italy and men of the meaner sort out of Hungary and Poland, men out of the ranks where there was neither skill nor energy nor any initiative of quick intelligence … as if the countries of the south of Europe were disburdening themselves of the more sordid and hapless elements of their population."

Howard Zinn, in his book "A People's History of the United States," laid out Congress' 1920 immigration quotas: No African country could send more than 100 people to America. That was also the limit for China, Bulgaria and Palestine. A whopping 34,007 could come from England or Northern Ireland, but only 3,845 were allowed from Italy. Germany was on a roll, with 51,227 allowed to enter, but Lithuania could send only 124. Russia could send 2,248.

We always have argued about who can and cannot stay. These days, people of color are the targets, and the term "illegal immigrant" is just a fancy cloak for racism. In the Umanzor case, an overwhelming number of readers said they hoped she and her family were "shipped back to the slum they came from." Same phrase, over and over.

On the day before Thanksgiving, Sayda Umanzor bundled up her three young children for the early morning ride to Cleveland's airport, where she was reunited with her husband and joined by three federal agents. One removed the security bracelet from her ankle before escorting them to the plane. They were allowed to take only five of the 20 bags Umanzor had packed.

By the end of the day, she and her family were back in the slum they came from.

And America prepared to give thanks.

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and the author of two books from Random House: "Life Happens" and "… and His Lovely Wife." To find out more about Connie Schultz ([email protected]) and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.