So far, coverage of Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign announcement has tilted left on the top Univision and Telemundo newscasts, with both networks emphasizing the perspective of pro-amnesty critics of the Florida senator.
“The truth is Latinos do not want him here,” said a Rubio protester featured on Telemundo’s national evening newscast. Both Telemundo and Univision featured the group of pro-amnesty protesters outside the Freedom Tower where Rubio made his campaign announcement, and ignored the much larger group of pro-Rubio supporters inside.
Statements by Rubio critics – including the cited protester, a Hillary Clinton supporter, a Jeb Bush supporter and Democratic operative Freddy Balsera – outnumbered Rubio supporters 5:2 in the Telemundo report.
On its morning program Despierta América, Univision also focused on the perspective of the protesters, with host Satcha Pretto saying that although Rubio emphasized in his announcement speech the humble past of his parents, "many immigrants are already asking themselves, ‘Does he want to support us, or deport us?’”
Both the Univision and Telemundo coverage insisted Rubio’s position on immigration is problematic. However, they failed to reference the Senator’s concrete leadership and position on the issue.
The so-called dreamer protesters against Rubio shouted the shop-worn socialist slogan: “The people, united, will never be defeated.” The slogan is habitually used by radical, anti-American agitators throughout Latin America.
In fact, there appear to be a group of professional agitators who regularly show up at Rubio’s public appearances. At least one of them seems to be stalking Rubio. Oliver Merino, who is seen yelling in front of Miami's Tower of Freedom, previously interrupted Rubio in South Carolina. Merino also prowls the halls of Congress, as the accompanying pictures show.
Relevant portions of the referenced Telemundo and Univision programs appear below:
TELEMUNDO (English):
UNIDENTIFIED: And he is representing the Latinos, but the truth is that Latinos do not want him here
LORI MONTENEGRO: There is pride among Cuban-Americans in Florida because Rubio is running for president, but many say it does not mean they would vote for him
UNIDENTIFIED: Clinton’s wife has 72%, she is going to win for sure because all women are going to vote for her
LORI MONTENEGRO: For the Democrats, the Senator does not offer concrete proposals
FREDDY BALSERA: What you are offering is smoke for the people. He does not have solid ideas. He simply is selling a vision, but we have to look at his record.
LORI MONTENEGRO: But perhaps, Rubio’s biggest challenge to attract Hispanic voters would be the thorny immigration issue.
TELEMUNDO (Spanish):
SIN IDENTIFICACIÓN: Y él está representando a los latinos, pero la verdad es que los latinos no lo queremos aquí
LORI MONTENEGRO: Hay orgullo entre los cubanos de la Florida de que Marco Rubio esté aspirando a la presidencia, pero dicen muchos que eso no decir que lo respaldarían en las urnas
SIN IDENTIFICACIÓN: La mujer de Clinton tiene el 72%, esa va a ganar seguro porque todas las mujeres van a votar por ella
LORI MONTENEGRO: Para los demócratas, el Senador no ofrece propuestas concretas
FREDDY BALSERA: Todo lo que está presentando es humo para el pueblo. No tiene ideas sólidas. Simplemente quiere vender una visión, pero hay que ver su pasado.
LORI MONTENEGRO: Pero quizás el mayor reto de Rubio para atraer el voto hispano sería el espinoso tema de inmigración
UNIVISION (English):
MARIA EUGENIA PAYAN: While Rubio was announcing his candidacy, a group of dreamers arrived in front of the building to protest against Rubio’s immigration policies
“The people, united, will never be defeated”
SATCHA PRETTO: Rubio dedicated a large part of his speech to explaining his parents’ humble background when they arrived to the U.S. from Cuba, but as María Eugenia Payán explains to us, many immigrants are already asking themselves, “Does he want to help us or deport us?”
UNIVISION (Spanish):
MARIA EUGENIA PAYAN: Mientras el Senador anunciaba su candidatura, un grupo de “dreamers” llegó hasta el frente del edificio para protestar contra las políticas migratorias de Rubio
“Un pueblo, unido, jamás será vencido”
SATCHA PRETTO: Rubio dedicó gran parte de su discurso en explicar el pasado humilde de sus padres. Cuando llegaron a Estados Unidos procedentes de Cuba, pero como nos explica María Eugenia Payán, desde ya, muchos inmigrantes se están haciendo una pregunta: ¿Nos quiere apoyar o deportar?
