“Deportation Relief Stuck” was the title of a slanted segment on the latest edition of Enfoque, Telemundo’s weekly public affairs talk show. Host José Díaz-Balart allowed Congressman Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL) to go unchallenged as the segment’s sole guest in the discussion of the plight of President Obama’s Executive Amnesty, the implementation of which has so far been blocked by federal courts.
CONG. LUIS GUTIERREZ: 26 Governors and Attorneys General, of 26, all Republicans, went to court and stopped it, saying it was unconstitutional, and that the President had exceeded his presidential authority. There can be nothing further from the truth than that.
From the outset, the issue was framed in a light entirely favorable to the President’s Executive Amnesty. Díaz-Balart neither invited an opponent of the President’s actions to the program, nor challenged Gutiérrez’s perspective with any critical questions, such as the 26 states’ various allegations regarding the rule of law as well as the economic burdens involved in the federal government’s proposed massive abdication of its law enforcement obligations.
Instead, Gutiérrez was allowed a full segment to himself to lambast amnesty opponents and predict that the President’s Executive Actions will ultimately prevail in court.
When will Enfoque return to including opposing perspectives in this debate? After all, the program’s viewership is not entirely pro-amnesty, and the legal reasoning of both the litigants and federal judges that have ruled against the Executive Actions deserve respect, too, as well as a place on Telemundo’s airwaves.
The transcript of the referenced segment of the May 24 edition of Enfoque is below.
English Translation:
JOSE DIAZ-BALART: Last Tuesday was the date, when millions, almost five million people, could have started applying under DAPA for temporary relief from deportation. But this has not happened because President Obama’s executive actions have been frozen in the courts of this country. Let’s talk about that and much more, today with Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez.
Congressman, thanks for being here.
CONGRESSMAN LUIS GUTIERREZ: A pleasure, José.
JOSE DIAZ-BALART: Almost five million people were going to have been able to benefit starting last Tuesday. What is going on, why are we seeing that these DACA and DAPA plans are not being implemented?
CONGRESSMAN GUTIERREZ: As you well know, I have traveled to more than twenty cities since January, and I have many more to visit. In order to prepare people because eventually we are going to win this lawsuit in court. Yes, 26 Governors and Attorneys General, of 26, all Republicans, went to court and stopped it, saying it was unconstitutional and that the President had exceeded his presidential authority. There can be nothing further from the truth than that. But eventually, sooner rather than later, we will prevail and I’m going to continue being an instrument to educate people on how to get ready for that eventuality.
JOSE DIAZ-BALART: But Congressman, in Texas initially, this Court of Appeals, in fact, a judge froze this process. Now, it is in the hands of New Orleans, on appeal, but it might go all the way to the Supreme Court.
CONGRESSMAN GUTIERREZ: José, let me give you a bit of news in advance. On Friday, June 5, I am going to be requesting a meeting with the regional director, where we are going to present cases, and we’re going to say, ‘Look, it is a contradiction that you have to solve. If they are eligible for DACA and for DAPA, then they shouldn’t be a priority for deportation. Despite what you have done in the past. And we have to reach a resolution to this conflict, and you will be the first. And if we don’t resolve it in Chicago, then we will have to come here to Washington D.C., with the Director of Immigration, Director Saldaña. She has to solve this. You are very correct.
Español Original:
JOSE DÍAZ-BALART: El martes pasado era la fecha, en que millones de personas, casi 5 millones, podrían haber comenzado a solicitar bajo el DAPA un alivio temporal de deportación. Pero esto no ha ocurrido porque el proceso de las acciones ejecutivas del presidente Obama está congelado en las cortes de este país. Vamos a hablar sobre eso y mucho más, hoy con el congresista de Illinois, Luis Gutiérrez.
Congresista, gracias por estar con nosotros.
REP LUIS GUTIERREZ: Un placer José.
JOSE DIAZ-BALART: 5 millones de personas, casi, iban a poder beneficiarse comenzando el martes pasado. ¿Qué está pasando, por qué estamos viendo que estos planes de DACA y DAPA, no están siendo implementados?
REP LUIS GUTIÉRREZ: Como tú muy bien sabes, yo he ido a más de veinte ciudades desde enero y tengo muchas más que visitar. Para ir preparando la gente porque eventualmente vamos a ganar este pleito en la corte. Sí, veintiséis gobernadores y fiscales generales, de veintiséis, todos republicanos, fueron a la corte y pararon diciendo que era inconstitucional y que el presidente había excedido su autoridad de presidente. No puede haber nada más lejano de la verdad que eso.
Pero eventualmente, más temprano que tarde, nosotros vamos a prevalecer y yo voy a continuar siendo un instrumento para educar a la gente de cómo prepararse para esa eventualidad.
JOSE DIAZ-BALART: Pero congresista, en Texas inicialmente, esta corte de apelaciones, un juez concretamente congeló este proceso. Ahora, está en manos de Nueva Orleans, de apelación, pero podría llegar hasta la Corte Suprema.
REP LUIS GUTIÉRREZ: José, déjame darte un adelanto. El viernes, 5 de junio, yo estoy pidiendo una reunión con el director regional, donde nosotros le vamos a llevar casos y le vamos a decir, mira es una contradicción que ustedes tienen que resolver. Si son elegibles para DACA y para DAPA, entonces no deben ser prioridad para deportación. No obstante lo que han hecho en el pasado. Y nosotros tenemos que llegar a una resolución de ese conflicto y usted será el primero. Y si no lo resolvemos en Chicago, entonces tendremos que venir aquí, a Washington DC, con la directora de inmigración, la directora Saldaña. Ella tiene que resolver esto. Usted tiene mucha razón.
