The Biden administration announced a new immigration rule set to take effect in May when Title 42 comes to an end. Yet, the news of the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule, identical to Trump's hated third-country deals, got under 30 seconds of airtime at the evening news edition of Telemundo and zero seconds at Univision´s.
That’s a total of thirty seconds of reporting about a subject that got 13 times more coverage when it was initiated by former President Trump in 2019.
Watch anchor Aranxta Loizaga’s full report about the reimplementation of a rule that would “bar those who cross the southern border and request asylum in the United States if they did not first attempt to do so in countries through which they crossed, such as Mexico”:
The Biden administration is putting the finishing touches on a new rule to block asylum applications. The rule, as confirmed by sources within the Department of Homeland Security to NBC News, would bar those who cross the southern border and request asylum in the United States if they did not first attempt to do so in countries through which they crossed, such as Mexico. Pro-immigrant groups, then, are saying that this policy is very similar to those that existed during the Trump era and they are already planning lawsuits to try to stop it.
To close her report, Loizaga made a passing reference to Trump while telegraphing what pro-immigration activists might do next– “Pro-immigrant groups, then, are saying that this policy is very similar to those that existed during the Trump era and they are already planning lawsuits to try to stop it.”
For contrast, let's watch this other clip, also from Telemundo News, which aired when Trump announced the SAME EXACT rule on July 15, 2019. Notice how anchor José Díaz-Balart denounces it as a lethal blow to Central Americans who arrive at the border escaping violence and poverty:
President Trump further tightens the rules for asylum seekers. Starting tomorrow, most migrants who have passed through another country will not be able to seek refuge in the United States. This new rule is a lethal blow to Central Americans who arrive at the border escaping violence and poverty.
On July 15, 2019, both Telemundo and Univision evening news editions announced the Trump administration rule, granting the issue a combined airtime of over six and a half minutes – 13 TIMES MORE than when Biden announced THE SAME RULE!
If you wonder what's (D)ifferent this time around, or what makes the rule less worthy of airtime at the corporate Latino media, or if Central Americans are no longer escaping violence and poverty… one thing's for sure. You will have to look elsewhere for the answers.
