On Wednesday night, the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC declined to cover the latest in the legal battle over President Obama’s executive action on illegal immigration as U.S. District Judge denied the Obama administration’s request for an injunction that would have allowed his plan to go forward.
Announced late Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge Hanen blasted the request and declared that the President’s decision to not enforce “laws requiring removal of illegal immigrants that conflict with the 2014 DHS directive” to enact amnesty only further cemented his ruling.
While the major English-language networks omitted any mention of the story, the Wednesday edition of the Fox News Channel (FNC) program Special Report with Bret Baier devoted a news brief to the topic. Host Bret Baier read the following 28-second brief:
Another hurdle tonight for President Obama's executive action on immigration. A federal judge in Texas has denied the Justice Department's request to lift a temporary hold on the President’s plan to stop potentially millions of illegal immigrants from being deported. The White House says it will continue to pursue the case in court. The judge also wants federal prosecutors to address his suspicions that the administration misled him about the implementation of some of the President’s plan.
Here’s more on the decision from The Washington Times:
President Obama's new deportation amnesty will remain halted, a federal judge in Texas ruled Tuesday night in an order that also delivered a judicial spanking to the president's lawyers for misleading the court.
Judge Andrew S. Hanen, who first halted the amnesty in February, just two days before it was to take effect, said he's even more convinced of his decision now, particularly after Mr. Obama earlier this year said he intends for his policies to supersede federal laws.
Judge Hanen pointed to Mr. Obama's comments at a February town hall when the president warned immigration agents to adhere to his policies or else face “consequences.”
“In summary, the chief executive has ordered that the laws requiring removal of illegal immigrants that conflict with the 2014 DHS directive are not to be enforced, and that anyone who attempts to do so will be punished,” Judge Hanen wrote.
In contrast, Spanish-language networks Telemundo and Univision covered Hanen’s latest ruling with reports during their Wednesday night newscasts. Over on Noticiero Univision, the program offered surprisingly balanced coverage and even cited an official with The LIBRE Initiative.
Noticiero Telemundo, however, did not offer the same type of balanced coverage and instead determined that Republicans would be blamed if appropriate immigration legislation isn’t passed and brought on a member of the far-left group La Raza to advance their agenda.
Back when Hanen first ruled against the Obama administration on February 16, all three of the English-language networks tore into the decision and sought to portray illegal immigrants as victims of the judicial process.
The brief that aired on FNC’s Special Report with Bret Baier on April 8 is transcribed below.
FNC’s Special Report with Bret Baier
April 8, 2015
6:24 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Request Denied]
BRET BAIER: Another hurdle tonight for President Obama's executive action on immigration. A federal judge in Texas has denied the Justice Department's request to lift a temporary hold on the President’s plan to stop potentially millions of illegal immigrants from being deported. The White House says it will continue to pursue the case in court. The judge also wants federal prosecutors to address his suspicions that the administration misled him about the implementation of some of the President’s plan.
