The ‘anti-immigrant’ label – typically used by liberal media outlets to tar those who either speak uncomfortable truths about illegal immigration or who simply support the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws – reared its ugly head again on Univision and Telemundo, this time as a result of Republican Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner speaking about the downside of illegal immigration in the city of Chicago.
In fact, Univision anchor Jorge Ramos made it abundantly clear that the mere assertion by Governor Rauner that “undocumented immigrants take away jobs and also contribute to crime in Chicago” is tantamount to “anti-immigrant” speech. Ramos’s counterpart at Telemundo, José Díaz-Balart, similarly condemned Rauner for having dared to mention illegal immigration and crime in the same sentence.
JORGE RAMOS, SENIOR NEWS ANCHOR, UNIVISION: The Governor of Illinois, Republican Bruce Rauner, is the object of a barrage of harsh criticism. The state executive said that undocumented immigrants take away jobs and also contribute to crime in Chicago. As Viviana Ávila explains, reactions to his anti-immigrant comments have been plentiful.
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JOSÉ DÍAZ-BALART, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: The anti-immigrant wave grows. The Governor of Illinois blamed illegal immigrants for crime in Chicago.
The core problem with the ‘anti-immigrant’ label is that it is routinely and recklessly used to describe a politician or policy that is addressing the problem of illegal immigration. The label is used in a dishonest manner to give the impression that the politician or policy in question is indiscriminately addressing immigration and immigrants per se, whether legal or illegal.
It is not as if the problem could not be fixed by simply adding the word “anti-illegal immigrant”, but for the liberal media that is not an option, as the reigning tyranny of politically correctness in journalism determined a few years ago that the term “illegal immigrant” can no longer be used. Still, there are workarounds even acceptable among practitioners of politically correct journalism, such as “anti-unauthorized immigrant” or “anti-undocumented immigrant.”
However, the clarity of the terms “anti-unauthorized immigrant” or “anti-undocumented immigrant” then makes the politician or policy in question actually sound entirely legitimate and sensible, whereas the use of the “anti-immigrant” label automatically tars the politician or policy in question from the get-go as illegitimate, opprobrious and racist, which is the whole liberal political purpose of the use of the grossly unfair, pejorative term in the first place.
Like Governor Rauner, many Americans, including respected academics like Harvard University economics professor George Borjas, are concerned about the negative impact of massive low-skilled immigration on the country’s native low-skilled workers. Many Americans also have a legitimate concern about crime committed by people who should not even be in the country in the first place. A 2011 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, for example, found that there are more than a quarter million criminal aliens (to use the still applicable legal term) in U.S. federal, state and local prisons and jails. Moreover, a 2014 U.S. Sentencing Commission report found that illegal immigrants were involved in 17 percent of all drug trafficking sentences. In 2015, the same source, as verified by Politifact, found that undocumented immigrants accounted for 30% of federal kidnapping and hostage convictions, and 5% of murder convictions.
As demonstrated by the coverage of both Univision and Telemundo, the use of the ‘anti-immigrant’ label in this instance, as applied to Governor Bruce Rauner, was entirely aligned with Democrat campaign and activist efforts to further a preferred political narrative and cause.
Below is the complete transcript of the above referenced reports as they aired on October 11, 2018 in Noticias Telemundo and Noticiero Univisión.
Noticiero Univisión
10/11/18
JORGE RAMOS, SENIOR NEWS ANCHOR, UNIVISION: The Governor of Illinois, Republican Bruce Rauner, is the object of a barrage of harsh criticism. The state executive said that undocumented immigrants take away jobs and also contribute to crime in Chicago. As Viviana Ávila explains, reactions to his anti-immigrant comments have been plentiful.
VIVIANA AVILA, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: The controversy first exploded in a debate of the Chicago Sun Times during which Governor Bruce Rauner blamed undocumented immigrants for unemployment and crime in Chicago.
BRUCE RAUNER: One of the reasons we have such high unemployment in the city of Chicago and so much crime is the massive number of illegal immigrants here take jobs away from American citizens and Chicago citizens.
ÁVILA: And later during a tour of a factory in the city, he said that his words were taken out of context and that he did not mean that undocumented immigrants are criminals, but that unemployment breeds crime.
CELINA VILLANUEVA, REPRESENTATIVE (D) ILLINOIS STATE ASSEMBLY: What the Governor said is an enormous lack of respect for the immigrant communities. A few years ago he said ‘Oh I love them so much, they are so important to the state, all that they have contributed...’
LAURA GARZA, SECRETARY, LOCAL 1 SERVICE SYNDICATE: Because we know that what he is supposed to do is create better jobs, create better opportunities in our communities. That really is pure talk to try to put one group against another group and we are much more aware that we will not allow that to happen.
ÁVILA: Although last year the Governor signed a law that forbids the police to act as immigration officers, this year he vetoed three laws that would protect the immigrant community, including one that creates safe zones to prevent immigration officials from making arrests in sensitive places.
MONY RUIZ VELASCO, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, P.A.S.O. ORGANIZATION: We have nothing to say to the Governor directly, but the only thing we have to say is that we are united and that we will fight for the solutions that are important to us.
CHANTING PROTESTERS: The people, united, will never be defeated.
ÁVILA: Today an event of Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti at a Mexican restaurant in the city was disrupted by demonstrators protesting the comments made by Rauner. And activists say that with the anti-immigration rhetoric of Governor Bruce Rauner, the consequences must be felt at the ballot box.
ARTEMIO ARREOLA, ILLINOIS COALITION OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS: Our people should know and speak clearly on November 6. We are not guilty of crime in Chicago. We are the ones that contribute to the economy and we cannot allow the national rhetoric of Donald Trump to come to Illinois.
ÁVILA: In Chicago, Viviana Ávila, Univisión.
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Noticias Telemundo
10/11/18
JOSÉ DÍAZ-BALART, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: The anti-immigrant wave grows. The Governor of Illinois blamed undocumented immigrants for crime in Chicago, although in other cities, such as Minneapolis, the Police decided to give immigrants a helping hand. Rubén Pereida has the two sides of the coin.
ACTIVIST: He will never talk to us again, and he will never again disrespect us.
RUBÉN PEREIDA, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: That is how activists and immigrants today reproached the Governor of Illinois, who in a political debate expressed himself like this.
BRUCE RAUNER, GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS: One of the reasons we have such high unemployment in the city of Chicago and so much crime is the massive number of illegal immigrants here take jobs away from American citizens.
PEREIDA: Today in a Hispanic heritage celebration, the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois stood up for Bruce Rauner.
EVELYN SANGUINETTI, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS: I know his heart, and I know that he takes care of Hispanic families and the families of foreigners.
PEREIDA: But for the defenders of immigrants, the words of the Governor only increase hatred against this community, without any basis.
ARTEMIO ARREOLA, ILLINOIS COALITION OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS: It is unacceptable that in Illinois we allow the national hatred of Donald Trump to come here, and they want to blame the immigrants.
PEREIDA: Also unacceptable are the flyers that still show up on New York streets, where people are encouraged to report undocumented immigrants.
GREGORIO SANTIAGO, IMMIGRANT: They are racist people, who do not like Hispanics, I think. We do not need anything else but to work.
PEREIDA: However, in Minneapolis authorities have taken charge of the issue and came out in defense of immigrants. Activists celebrate that the Mayor has decided to put Spanish-language signs in patrol cars, to make detainees aware of their rights.
GUILLERMO ARÉVALO, PASTOR, MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH: To me it seems very good, because the majority of Hispanics do not really speak English and don't know their rights.
PEREIDA: In the face of the divisiveness that, according to activists, is currently taking place in the country in regard to undocumented immigration, the best thing that can be done according to them is to go out and vote in the upcoming elections.
MONY RUIZ, ACTIVIST: That they go out and vote informed, to know what the policies are and what things are actually on the line.
PEREIDA: Rubén Pereida, Noticias Telemundo.
