With the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States behind us and the early fulfillment of his promises on immigration underway, we can take a look back at the hopes that Spanish-language media placed on President Joe Biden opening up the border.
But first, a reminder that Spanish-language media remains a client of the Democrat party on immigration. It has been our long-held thesis at MRC Latino that Spanish-language media renew their viewer pool through immigration, as opposed to the renewal of ABC, CBS, NBC et. al viewers through natural birth. This is a thesis subsequently confirmed by none other than Jorge Ramos (click “expand” to view transcript):
JORGE RAMOS: I think the future of Spanish-language media is assured for decades, simply, for a very simple reason: Despite of the fact that the majority of the growth within the Hispanic community is coming from people being born here, we still have one to two million immigrants, legally and illegally coming in every single year. Most of them speak Spanish. So, therefore, we have a market that is growing and growing.
And I think we can assure you that in the next few decades, you'll see Spanish-language media. That's another topic completely, but the Latino community is keeping so many elements from their country of origin, including Spanish- 9 out of 10 Latinos speak Spanish...speak Spanish at home- that- and we're doing things that Italians didn't do, or Russians, or Eastern Europeans didn't do- and the closeness to our countries of origin and the communications that we have are keeping Spanish-language media alive. And thanks to that, it's a new power that other immigrant communities didn't have in the past.
By having their audience always look back to countries of origin as opposed to forward in America, mass Spanish-language media then becomes an instrument of cultural alienation, and boxing-in of Latinos into a permanent alien status- forever alienated from the American mainstream and the fullness of American citizenship. Key to that strategy is a continuous open border.
On January 20th, 2021, Spanish-language media was unanimous in pining for Biden to open the borders, or at least push to enact some version of “comprehensive immigration reform.” These hopes were stated openly and often. Here is but a tiny compendium (click “expand” to view transcript):
ANTONIO TEXEIRA: On his first day in office, there is hope for millions of undocumented immigrants because Biden will offer immigration reform with pathways to citizenship, protections for Dreamers and for the construction of the border wall- to end it.
MARTÍN BERLANGA: In fact, the news of immigration reform is something that many of us Hispanic journalists have been waiting to report on for decades.
KARLA MARTINEZ: But for our people, what concerns them most is the immigration issue. He has promised, that in his first days of campaigning, his first 100 days, that he will try to grant the longed-for immigration reform.
JUAN JOSÉ GUTIERREZ, ACTIVIST: The president, the actual president, not president-elect, Joseph Biden, will send a legislative proposal to Congress to legalize all undocumented workers and their families.
CRISTINA LONDOÑO: Promises that were made to immigrants are already being kept, with executive orders and the filing of an immigration reform plan.
NICOLE SUAREZ: And more than one was surprised that Joe Biden announced, even before arriving at the White House, his immigration reform plan that aims to legalize more than 11 million undocumented, and provide them with a pathway to U.S. citizenship.
BERLANGA: What Biden and Harris have said is that their proposal would restore humanity to the U.S. immigration system.
DANNY VARGAS: I believe that the will is there, that it should be done in this first year, we have many issues, but immigration reform is definitely something that is pending and that is urgent.
VANESSA HAUC: Our community is now breathing with great hope Dan, because Biden has said that he will send this immigration reform bill (to Congress)...
STACHA PRETTO: ... on his first day in office. There’s the list. Among these is an immigrartion reform plan that would provide a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented.
ALAN TACHER: But today there is great expectation because right after Joe Biden's oath of office, he is expected to file his proposal for immigration reform.
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ: And the incoming administration will file a bill today, a proposal for immigration reform.
KARLA MARTINEZ: Well, we were thrilled to hear the news of an immigration reform proposal that incoming President Joe Biden would file today, but there is already talk about a delay if Congress goes through with another impeachment trial for Donald Trump.
Unfortunately, we now know what happened. Shortly after swearing in, President Biden would sign executive orders that effectively unraveled the border protections left in place by President Donald Trump. Tens of millions of illegal migrants raced north to take advantage of the “benefits” being offered by the Biden administration.
Subsequently, our cities were overwhelmed with migrants. Crime would spike in cities such as New York and Denver. In Aurora, a nearby suburb, the violent Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang seized control of several apartment complexes. In Georgia, a TdA member murdered fifth-year nursing student Laken Riley. In Houston, TdA members murdered Jocelyn Nungaray. The nation became horrified by these and many other cases.
It turns out that Spanish-language media got what they wanted, with catastrophic results. It will take years to revert the damage done by the politicians that these institutions put in place. It is up to us to remember.
