Well, this is a timely coincidence. Within a week of the Trump administration announcing that it will end the 1999 temporary protected status for Hondurans, CBS’s Madam Secretary features the Secretary of State fighting for refugee status of Honduran children against a "political bully." I guess the show has more foresight than I thought, though still not enough to let their Hillary icon or liberal biases go. As the Democrats have been learning lately, you can’t win them all.
The May 6 episode “The Things We Get To Say” follows reporter Neal Shin (Tim Kang) as he observes an average day for Madam Secretary Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni). This day happens to be perfect since Elizabeth and her staff are handling a Honduran refugee crisis occurring just south of the border. In overcrowded and unsanitary detention centers in Mexico, many Honduran children are dying without care, requesting aid from the United States. There is even a sad online video depicting the children holding a funeral for their friends. Despite already working on a comprehensive immigration reform bill for Congress, they begin mulling over the prospect of giving them refugee status.
Of course, no controversial political move could be made without everyone’s favorite right-wing partisan hack Senator Morejon (José Zúñiga) chiming in. Once word spreads about the Hondurans, Morejon immediately goes on air and blasts the policy as letting in “gangsters and thugs,” paralleling Trump’s controversial statements on illegal immigrants coming in from Mexico.
Morejon: I believe in the dreams of immigrants who want to contribute to our great nation. But I simply cannot support legislation on immigration put forth by this president when his administration is offering refuge to gangsters and thugs.
Funny how the episode didn't bring up the fact that many refugees dubbed “minors” brought to the U.S. are actually adults or that gangs like MS-13 are sending in younger members. After all, bringing up those facts would have offered a counter-argument, and this series, with its several ridiculous positions, can’t afford that.
In fact, the reporter bemoans "reckless statements and hate-mongering by that political bully [Senator Morejon]." From the previous episode this season on refugees, we already know that Morejon is basically a hypocrite when it comes to refugees considering his wife was an illegal immigrant. This time around, he takes his hypocrisy to a new level by holding the act hostage until the President backs off divestment from private prisons. Why the sudden interest in private prisons one might ask? Morejon’s largest donor just so happens to be the CEO of a large privatized prison. Now Morejon is not only accepting of poor refugee children dying, but he is also beholden to the will of wealthy prison owners. Such is the treatment of any political opponent on this show.
Reporter Neal Shin is shown to critique the secretary's decisions regarding the Iran Deal, Afghanistan, and even her negotiations with Morejon. Still, he ends up just as supportive of her as any of her staff as he croons to his newborn child how Elizabeth’s “gonna be your president one day.”
Flattering appraisal or partisan hackery. Those are the only political views on Madam Secretary, and they don't help a single Honduran child.
