Just when you start to persuasively articulate your argument you flub it up by making sweeping generalizations.
My wife is part Iraqi and first generation American, I'm black ...they follow the census and view themselves as Caucasian (which they are).
The "Middle East" is a region, breh. Within the Middle East you have Caucasian races of people that don't get along with others for many different reasons.
For an example, as I pointed out in the "white Jesus" thread, Palestinians and Jews are two different cultures who've feuded for centuries despite sharing the same genetic roots. Similar to Dominicans and Hatians.
It's another reason I believe "Latino" is an ethnicity, not a race. I believe this is the gamut of the confusion in this thread.
Although some Latinos look white, they don't feel "white". They feel connected to their language, their heritage, their behaviors, their foods etc. Therefore without an official identification they feel alienated.
That's their challenge with assimilating into American culture.
In explaining this, I sincerely hope you realize how this confusion is perceived to Americans. No one is forcing ANYTHING on anyone, we're just asking that while you're here
respect our home.