MORRISTOWN – There were more than 200 people – elected officials, many dressed in green and just plain supporters – crowded around a street corner Sunday afternoon to commemorate the historic Dublin section of town.

This is roughly a three or four-square block area around the Church of the Assumption that was home to Irish immigrants for about 100 years dating back to the mid-1800’s. The hoopla was tied to an official designation of the area’s historical significance by the Morris County Heritage Commission.

There were speeches, the requisite bagpipers and then a short march to the appropriately-named Dublin Pub where the celebration continued.

On one hand, this was just a nice event, yet on the other hand, it is so difficult – as it should be – to speak of past immigration without dwelling on immigration today.

The past was certainly not forgotten as one speaker said anti-immigration feeling was so strong that there was once a KKK march in Morristown. A historic marker in the area reads in part, “The Dublin neighborhood was not immune to these sentiments and witnessed incidents of hostility, intimidation and even violence.”

The cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who has earned everlasting fame with drawings depicting Santa Claus and political corruption had a darker side. Nast, who lived in Morristown only a few blocks from the Dublin section, also drew cartoons portraying the Irish as uncivilized drunkards.

Such bigotry was a big part of Irish immigration and it is commendable that the sins of the past were – and are – mentioned in the historical record.

At the same time, one can not forget the wave of anti-immigration feeling sweeping the country today in some quarters. When the man who is now president begins his campaign by suggesting many Mexicans are rapists, it’s not hard to foresee where we are headed.

Which brings us to last weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference gathering in suburban Washington.

One of the speeches that made news was one by blogger and writer Michelle Malkin. She condemned many Republicans, including the deceased John McCain (how classy), for not doing enough to combat immigration. Malkin reportedly likened immigration to an  “invasion” and expressed contempt for the so-called Dreamers – those brought to this country by their parents as young children.

It hardly takes a genius to realize that many immigrants today are from Mexico and Central America. In many ways, the Mexicans and Guatemalans of today are the Irish of four generations ago – people fleeing persecution and poverty in their native land. And like the Irish of yesteryear, they come here to work hard and to contribute. Of course, the Irish of the 1800’s were not the only ethnic group to face hostility from those here before them.

But if the Irish were the targets of Nast and the aptly-name “Know-Nothing” party of the nineteenth century, Latinos are their targets today.

It is worth mentioning that the day before the C-PAC gathering, Sen. Bob Menendez addressed the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce dinner in Washington. He spoke a lot about immigration. At one point, he challenged his audience of mostly businesses executives to support and to hire immigrants. He spoke of it as something that is both good for business and morally right.

Naturally, the senator’s words were not nearly as fiery as the anti-immigration demagogues, but his point was well taken.

One can demean newcomers all they like. but it’s worth considering the words of Tim Dougherty, the mayor of Morristown.

Speaking on Sunday about Irish immigration, he said it was their sense of community that held them together, adding, “This is something that’s going to be here forever.”

That’s true for the Irish in America and also for everyone else.