Univision continues to act more like a liberal special-interest lobby than a bona fide news network. In its latest lobbying display, the nation's leading Hispanic television network has taken an official stand for lawlessness, and against Texas’ new anti-sanctuary city legislation.
During the August 13 edition of the network's weekly public affairs program, Al Punto, anchor Jorge Ramos touted Univision’s position and blasted the Texas law as “one of the most anti-immigrant laws in the country”:
JORGE RAMOS, SENIOR NEWS ANCHOR, UNIVISION: This week the Univision corporation declared itself to be against the controversial Texas state law SB4, and in a press release said the following: "As a company whose core mission is to inform, entertain, and empower diverse communities, Univision strongly condemns laws that enable and promote discrimination." SB4 is currently before the courts, as it is considered one of the most anti-immigrant laws in the country. The law is slated to enter into effect on September 1.
Despite going to his reliable “anti-immigrant” trope, Jorge Ramos’ brief coverage of SB4 does not fully showcase the arrogance of the statement in its entirety. Here it is, as released by Univision:
Univision Communications Inc. opposes the 85th Texas Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 4. As passed, this law is unconstitutional and discriminates against the Hispanic community. As a company whose core mission is to inform, entertain, and empower diverse communities, Univision strongly condemns laws that enable and promote discrimination. Univision stands alongside the fearless public officials, community leaders, and families advocating against this unneeded policy. As a border state, Texas’ focus should be on the promotion of public safety and the prevention of discrimination so that Texas can serve as the prime example of successful immigrant integration.
There are several instances here that underscore Univision's fundamental unseriousness and hypocrisy in addressing SB4 as it did. First of all, there is the fact that the network denounced as discriminatory a statute that contains an explicit anti-discrimination clause (Section 752.054). Univision's bleating notwithstanding, SB4 is ultimately a public safety bill - which is what the network stated that Texas “needs” to do.
Univision’s opposition to SB4 - while shrouded in lofty concerns about discrimination and constitutionality - is ultimately about its survival; which is wholly contingent on the preservation of a broken immigration system that discourages enforcement of existing statutes.
As we’ve pointed out before, Univision has been struggling of late to keep pace with demographic shifts - mainly, birth as the main driver of the growth of the Hispanic population in the United States, as opposed to immigration.
Univision's concern about Texas serving as a "prime example of successful imigrant integration" is belied by its dependence on a steady inflow of unassimilated, unintegrated immigrants, regardless of legal status. Here it is, in Jorge Ramos' own words:
SB4, like the RAISE Act, prevents Univision's captive market from "growing and growing", therefore, it must go on the offensive - so as to protect its own interests. As we saw throughout the 2016 election, and here again, Univision has become little more than a liberal special-interest lobby with a news division and a TV feed, and lofty pronouncements such as these should be taken with a brick of salt.
