Univision and Telemundo are reporting on the increased influx of unauthorized immigrants coming across Mexico’s border with the United States. In contrast, Univision and Telemundo’s English-language counterparts at ABC, CBS and NBC have yet to report on the trend.
Univision last week highlighted the dramatic increase of entire families crossing the border into the United States. Correspondent Pedro Rojas reported that the 68,000 family units that have unlawfully entered the country during fiscal year 2016 exceed the 66,000 that came in 2014, the year that saw a spike in unauthorized Central American children and parents crossing the border.
PEDRO ROJAS, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: Official figures indicate that families detained at the border so far this year add up to more than 68,000 people; surpassing enormously the 66,000 apprehended throughout the entire fiscal year of 2014. What is serious about this situation is not just the increased detainment of undocumented families, but also the number of people dying while trying to enter the country through the border south of Texas.
MARLENE CASTRO, BORDER PATROL OFFICER: We’ve found 124 bodies so far this year, there only little over 3 weeks left for the rest of the year, that’s what really mortifies us.
Telemundo, meanwhile, reported on a growing crisis in Tijuana, Mexico where thousands of Haitian, along with Central American, migrants have gathered hoping to cross into the United States.
Correspondent Raúl Torres reported the Haitian migrants initially falsely claimed they were from Africa, and Mexican officials facilitated their movement through Mexico to the U.S. border.
RAÚL TORRES, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: They’re more than 1,500. The Mexican government gave them a permit to get to the border until they discovered that there were fake passes. That is why the shelters are fuller than ever before.
Upon discovering the Haitian migrants’ false papers, Torres went on to report that instead of removing them from the country, Mexican officials have requested that the U.S. Government determine whether or not they can be received as humanitarian refugees.
Reporting on the same surge as Univision, the Washington Times noted that things have gotten so bad that some adults making the unlawful trek North from Central America to the United States are reportedly kidnapping children “so they can pose as families and earn easier treatment here.”
The events also occur while Fox News’ Malia Zimmerman reports of concerns that the Obama administration is stonewalling the release of a report that shows that “roughly half of adults who attempt to cross the border make it.”
Hand in hand with unauthorized border crossings also comes human and drug trafficking. PolitiFact recently confirmed that in the midst of a national heroin epidemic, heroin is pouring across the border into communities all around the country. Another tragic cost of the lack of security at the U.S. border are the countless lives lost, as Texas officials find scores of dead bodies of those that perish due to the searing heat and other causes.
Below are the transcripts of the cited reports, broadcast on the September 12 edition of Noticiero Univision and the September 13 edition of Noticiero Telemundo:
UNIVISION
NOTICIERO UNIVISION
9/12/16
6:46:19 PM - 6:48:30 PM EST | 2 MIN 11 SEC
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: The arrival of undocumented immigrant families throughout the border have increased dramatically over the past 12 months, the total is up almost to 70,000 the undocumented [immigrants] that have arrived with a family member up to this point in the fiscal year. In McAllen, Texas, Pedro Rojas wanted to get to know firsthand why these families emigrate. These are the answers.
PEDRO ROJAS, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: The number of undocumented families detained at the border is increasing, and those that have been freed by the Border Patrol and prepare to travel deeper into the United States assure that the reasons that motivate them to do so continue being the economic crisis, and the extortion that they suffer from organized crime in their countries of origin.
YESENIA GUADALUPE PÉREZ, UNDOCUMENTED MOTHER: Over there we only make little [money], sometimes it’s only enough for food, and we can’t move forward.
GEOVANY PAZ GUEVARA, UNDOCUMENTED FATHER: Sometimes one leaves, but you don’t know if you can come back to our homes, thanks to God we were able to walk on this path. It hasn’t been easy, lots of struggles and trials, but thanks to God everything’s gone well until now.
PEDRO ROJAS, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: According to Sister Norma Pimentel, the numbers are definitely increasing. She manages a humanitarian center where families receive food and supplies after being released from the Border Patrol’s processing centers.
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL, CATHOLIC CHARITIES: It’s around a hundred, hundred and fifty, almost every day. We see a lot, especially during the beginning of the week, then it goes down a little but it is continuous.
PEDRO ROJAS, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: Official figures indicate that families detained at the border so far this year add up to more than 68,000 people; surpassing enormously the 66,000 apprehended throughout the entire fiscal year of 2014. What is serious about this situation is not just the increased detainment of undocumented families, but also the number of people dying while trying to enter the country through the border south of Texas.
MARLENE CASTRO, BORDER PATROL OFFICER: We’ve found 124 bodies so far this year, there only little over 3 weeks left for the rest of the year, that’s what really mortifies us.
PEDRO ROJAS, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: According to the parents we interviewed, there are more families that continue making their way to the border, and in the processing centers of the Border Patrol there are still large groups that remain detained. In McAllen, Texas, Pedro Rojas, Univision.
TELEMUNDO
NOTICIERO TELEMUNDO
9/13/16
6:39:50 PM - 6:42:03 PM EST | 2 MIN 12 SEC
JOSÉ DÍAZ-BALART, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: A tense migratory crisis is happening in Tijuana, Mexico. Shelters can’t house the thousands and thousands of migrants that are stuck at the border, waiting to cross into the United States. The crisis was unleashed by the arrival of Haitian citizens in search of a humanitarian visa. But the demand is so high, that the situation has become chaotic, as reported by Raúl Torres.
RAÚL TORRES, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: Some look desperate, others look nervous. The majority does not hide their fear. They’re immigrants that claim to be from Africa, from Congo, they want a humanitarian visa from the United States. They argue that they’re running from war. But it’s not true, according to the immigration authorities, almost all of them are from Haiti.
ROSARIO LOZADA, MEXICAN IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL: They say they’re from the Congo because they know there isn’t a U.S-Mexico relationship with an African country, and that way they avoid being deported.
RAÚL TORRES, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: Haitians arrived from countries like Brazil and Ecuador. They emigrated there after the 2010 earthquake, but today, they want to get to the United States. Luc is one of them.
LUC NER, HAITIAN MIGRANT: What’s happening is that I’m waiting to get the ticket to cross over there [into the United States].
RAÚL TORRES, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: They’re more than 1,500. The Mexican government gave them a permit to get to the border until they discovered that there were fake passes. That is why the shelters are fuller than ever before. Martha Santos is from El Salvador. Together with her children, Luis, Kevin and Bryan, she’s left without a place to eat and sleep.
MARTHA SANTOS, SALVADORIAN MIGRANT: We got here via train, sometimes asking for a ride, asking for food, to see who would help us, because we left our country with nothing.
RAÚL TORRES, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: [Mexican] immigration authorities have again given passes for Haitians to cross the border starting September 16 and they’ve asked the United States government to decide if they’ll give them a humanitarian visa.
RAÚL TORRES, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: Pregnant women and children from Haiti are the priority of Mexican authorities. But at the Migrant’s House [Casa del Migrante], everyone is the priority.
PAT MURPHY, CASA DEL MIGRANTE DIRECTOR: We’re trying to organize ourselves so that they can at least shower, eat well.
RAÚL TORRES, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: Martha and her children will sleep on the street.
MARTHA SANTOS, SALVADORIAN MIGRANT: Our country is in the middle of war, we couldn’t live there anymore because of the gangs.
RAÚL TORRES, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: Just like the majority [of migrants], they don’t wish to return to their country. In Mexico, Raúl Torres, with Telemundo News.
