“Hispanophobia”? Give me a break. I’ve lived in southern California, Las Vegas, Tucson and Hailey, Idaho. To put it bluntly: yes, there is a correlation. I believe that it’s not ethnic, but cultural. Combine “machismo”, an emphasis on immediate economic success over education, and a comparatively large demographic of young men, and you’ve got a gang problem.
I don’t disagree with what you are saying in this comment; however, “an emphasis on immediate economic success over education” is a description that would not apply as a pan-generalization around here. A good fraction of the entering class each year at Columbia Basin Collage is Hispanic (matching the overall demographics of the Tri-Cities) and as such many of the graduate nurses, dental hygienists and others are of the same ethnicity. Needless to say, I don’t feel in danger walking around that campus even surrounded by all the Hispanic medical students! lol