Univision’s national Monday evening newscast included to what amounted to free promotion for liberal activists pushing for illegal immigration, complete with a closing endorsement from correspondent Lourdes del Río, who all but made a call to action with their contact information.
The report about a “racist” detention in Miami involved a woman, not legally in the country, who suffered a panic attack when she was approached by ICE officials. She was taken into custody upon her release from a Miami hospital.
Watch as Del Río advises undocumented immigrants against being afraid when approached by ICE, urging them instead to call a lawyer or a pro-immigrant organization.
LOURDES DEL RIO, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: That's why it's so important for undocumented people to understand that, despite having no papers, they do have rights. They may even ask for the advice of a lawyer, and if they do not have money to pay for one, there is always the option to call a pro-immigrant organization. The important thing is that they don't let fear get the best of them.
Always willing to portray unauthorized immigrants as victims, Univision also sought to criminalize ICE officials for doing their jobs and used the words of activist Laura Muñoz from the Florida Immigrant Coalition as the basis of this portrayal. According to Muñoz, the detainee had health complications that were “aggravated by what was occurring”, a statement that led Del Río to set the stage for her endorsement of the activists:
LOURDES: Her health condition was aggravated to such an extent that she had to be transferred to Aventura Hospital’s emergency room. The woman's family called the Florida Immigrant Coalition, and Laura Muñoz and other activists came to the scene to help her.
While the activist went on to state that the female detainee didn´t have a criminal record and no deportation order – “she is only an immigrant”, to her credit, Del Río did mention – more as a question – that the immigrant was undocumented. This statement was followed by Muñoz, stating that her group assumed so, but that was just an assumption made by the ICE agents.
All in all: for the Spanish liberal news media, any excuse to trash immigration officials legally carrying out their responsibilities is a good one, even when it involves an unauthorized immigrant who panics at the mere sight of law enforcement. Sounds like something was kept from the Univision audience in this evidently pro-illegal immigration “advertorial” passing for news.
Below is the complete transcript of the above mentioned report as it aired on Noticiero Univision on October 14, 2019.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISIÓN: Pro-immigrant activists considered it a case of discrimination, that of an immigrant who was under the custody of the Border Patrol for hours in a hospital, and then taken into detention. It happened after the woman was arrested while on her way to Miami Beach with her family. From Miami, Lourdes del Rio has the story and reactions.
LOURDES DEL RÍO, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISIÓN: This video shows the moment an immigrant leaves the hospital, escorted by Border Patrol agents. The odyssey began while she was traveling through Miami Beach with her ex-husband and their three children, was arrested by immigration services.
LAURA MUÑOZ, FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION: The woman got really sick, it seems that there are some medical complications and everything that is happening obviously makes her worse.
LOURDES: Her health condition worsened to such an extent that she had to be transferred to the emergency room at Aventura Hospital. The woman's family called the Florida Immigrant Coalition, and Laura Muñoz and other activists came to the scene to help her.
The images were taken by members of the organization.
ICE OFFICERS: We don´t need a warrant for that. Who said that? … I´m going to ask you to please step outside.
ACTIVIST: Why do we have to step outside?
AGENTE: Because you´re not here with the patient.
ACTIVISTA: Yes, we are.
AGENTE: You´re not family, we´re asking you to step out. Once the police are here, then we can have a discussion.
LOURDES: In the end, the warrant never materialized and the activists had to leave the medical center.
LAURA: The woman has no criminal record, has never been detained, (and) has no deportation order. She is an immigrant, that is all she is.
LOURDES: But she is undocumented.
LAURA: (Hesitant) That's what we assume, but even that is an assumption that the immigration officers could be making.
LOURDES: That's why the attorneys who are assisting her consider it a racial profiling case but don't want to give her name or any details because they understand it could adversely affect her situation.
The border patrol reacted. "The officers accompanied the detainee to the hospital while awaiting medical clearance." "Once the hospital staff discharged the person, the agents transported her to a border patrol station to continue regular procedures."
It´s not right, according to this attorney who is an immigration expert:
ÁNGEL LEÓN, IMMIGRATION LAWYER: There were other options that could have been considered at the time, and (CBP) not follow her to the hospital and have her under custody while she was at the hospital.
LOURDES DEL RIO, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: That's why it's so important for undocumented people to understand that, despite having no papers, they do have rights. They may even ask for the advice of a lawyer, and if they do not have money to pay for one, there is always the option to call a pro-immigrant organization. The important thing is that they don't let fear get the best of them." From Miami, Florida, Lourdes del Río, Univisión.
