Univision News is fully aware that time is running out for President Biden to make good the generous promises of immigration reform made to the open-borders base. But in a Thursday report about a group of activists calling for the end of Title 42 deportations, the network acted as a buffer for the White House.
While the Despierta America report appeared to be about accountability, with hostess Karla Martinez delivering a dramatic opening – “How much longer?” – Pitti put out the fire with a finger-pointing statement from the White House aimed at shifting the attention away from Title 42:
KARLA MARTINEZ: How much longer? That's the question that more than 100 organizations are asking President Biden right now; How much longer are they going to keep on expelling migrants in an accelerated manner under Title 42? This is a policy activated by the Trump administration during the pandemic, which prevents asylum seekers from staying on the grounds of avoiding coronavirus infections. Edwin Pitti tells us live from Washington, DC, whether the President would be willing to lift this measure.
PITTI: The White House answered the letter saying that they are currently continuing with this figure because they are following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but that currently the focus remains on processing asylum cases of vulnerable groups such as unaccompanied children and people who had been waiting months in Mexico for their asylum case to be resolved.
As Martinez explained, Title 42 was activated by the Trump administration during the pandemic. It prevents asylum seekers from staying on the grounds of avoiding coronavirus infections. Now, almost six months into the Biden administration, the White House continues to use it “not only to block, but to expel people who arrive at the border seeking asylum,” according to the group.
The Univision report featured an immigration lawyer and a representative from one of the 105 activist organizations that wrote the letter to the President. In this case, it was of little use: the White House's official answer was a blunt NO, smothered with “it’s Trump’s fault” overtones.
Here Univision is caught in no-man’s-land, having to appease both the activist base it advocates for, and the White House that is friendly to the rest of the network’s policy agenda.
Help the MRC fight back against the bias in the Spanish-speaking media. Let advertisers like Aleve know how they enable it with reports such as this one.
Press on expand to view the complete transcript of the segment mentioned above, as transmitted on Univision's Despierta America on July 8, 2021:
Univision's Despierta America
July 8, 2021KARLA MARTINEZ: How much longer? That's the question that more than 100 organizations are asking President Biden right now; How much longer are they going to keep on expelling migrants in an accelerated manner under Title 42? This is a policy activated by the Trump administration during the pandemic, which prevents asylum seekers from staying on the grounds of avoiding coronavirus infections. Edwin Pitti tells us live from Washington, DC, whether the President would be willing to lift this measure. Go ahead Edwin, good morning.
EDWIN PITTI: Good morning Karla. This is the question being asked by the 105 organizations that signed this letter sent to the White House where they clearly show alarm and disappointment at the fact that at the border, this rule known as title 42, is still in force. And according to this group of organizations, including lawyers, religious and civil rights, the White House would be using it not only to block, but to expel people who arrive at the border seeking asylum. Listen.
KELLEY ESCOBAR ORTEGA: (Title) 42 allows the government in times of public health crisis like the pandemic, to deny entry to the United States, as it says we're going to close the border so we don't have to increase the likelihood of contagion within the United States.
PAOLA LUISI: The shame is that it's still in use. There is talk of ending the policy. That´s fine with me, but it is clear that it is not enough just to end it for certain people.
PITTI: This group of organizations believes that the White House will be able to continue to use this rule known as Title 42 for the next two months. But the White House answered the letter saying that they are currently continuing with this figure because they are following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but that currently the focus remains on processing asylum cases of vulnerable groups such as unaccompanied children and people who had been waiting months in Mexico for their asylum case to be resolved. Reporting live from Washington, back with you in the studio.
