NPR Represents 'Undocumented' Romney Heckler As Typical 'Alienated' Latina on the Street

May 28th, 2012 7:33 AM

Mickey Kaus at the Daily Caller flagged an example of NPR “laundering” an amnesty activist named “Lucy” as just a typical Latina who represents how Romney might have difficulty with the Latino vote. It’s the same “Lucy” that heckled Mitt Romney until supporters applauded over her yelling. It’s not even the first time “Lucy” has harassed Romney. 

On the May 23 All Things Considered, NPR’s David Welna interviewed an “undocumented” young woman named only “Lucy” on the sidewalk and she complained that he’s failing to support the “DREAM Act” providing amnesty for illegal immigrants who came to America as children:

DAVID WELNA: But Romney's past stands on immigration-related issues have alienated other Latinos. On the sidewalk outside the event, an undocumented college student, who gives her name only as Lucy and whose parents brought her from Peru at age 10, notes that Romney said nothing in his education speech about helping people like her achieve legal status through the DREAM Act.

LUCY: I'm a Latina. You're asking for Latinos' help. Definitely not getting it with students. You know, there are citizens that are Latino that are not going to vote for a candidate like that if he's not supporting dreams of ours.

But Education Week reported a woman named “Lucy” disrupted Romney’s speech:

Romney’s speech was interrupted by a college student from New York named Lucy, an undocumented immigrant. “Governor Romney,” she yelled, twice, before the crowd broke into applause to drown out her words. She was ushered outside and joined a small group of protesters bearing signs that read “Veto Romney, Not the DREAM Act.”

If NPR’s reporter was interested in more than embarrassing Romney, he could have thrown “Romney” and “Lucy” into a Google search and found she was Lucy Allain, who said she came from Peru at 10, and now works for an advocacy group called “United We Dream.” Alexandra Grateraux of Fox News Latino interviewed her after the heckled Romney in New York back in January:

Lucy Allain says she embodies the definition of American.

Allain, 20, has become an Internet sensation for confronting GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney -- who has vowed to veto the DREAM Act -- during a fundraiser for the former Massachusetts governor in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday.

“Why are you not supporting my dream?” Allain asked Romney as he was signing autographs at the Sheraton Hotel. 

When Romney emphasized that he would not support anyone who “comes here illegally,” Allain fired back: “I didn’t come here illegally!”

She and her mother came in on a visa, apparently, and just stayed. She had to lie her way in to heckling Romney:

For the past four years she has been involved with “United We Dream,” a national organization that advocates for DREAMers. She is currently the nonprofit’s national coordinator.

Before the confrontation, Allain tweeted: "Mr. Romney are you ready for New York DREAMers? Oh YOU will remember this visit, that I can promise you! #YouAreGoingDown! #GetReady!"

At the fundraiser for Romney, she made it a point to find him in the hotel and protest his immigration views.

Getting close to the candidate took some creativity.

“To get in there was really hard,” Allain said.

People in the role of gatekeeper for the event stopped Allain at several points.

“People kept asking me if I supported him, and I kept saying yes so they could let me go in further until I got to him.”

Welna's story carried this headline on the website: "Romney Tries to Mend Fences With Latinos." Amnesty advocates don't want any fences.