By Michael Kleen
The current debate over illegal immigration has taken many forms over the past decade, but no romantic tale has been as widespread as the common liberal adage that "they only come here for jobs." On the left, as well as occasionally on the right, illegal immigrants are portrayed as noble peasants clamoring for prosperity within the borders of the United States, only held back by an evil cabal of Nazis and Fascists who dare call for the enforcement of immigration law or voice concern about cultural homogeneity.
This propaganda has infused the news media to such an extent that it is difficult to find an unbiased piece regarding the immigration issue. On June 13, USA Today ran an Associated Press article entitled "Ore. Food plant raided in illegal immigrant probe." William McCall, its author, casually threw all neutrality out the window as he attacked the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office for enforcing national law at the facility staffed by American Staffing Resources. A photograph of two women crying, both former food plant workers, accompanied the article.
Over 165 illegal employees, who were using stolen or "made up" social security numbers, were detained in the raid. Mr. McCall's article on the incident contained not one single quote from anyone in support of the raid. However, a plethora of quotes about how, "they're hardworking people, they're only here to make money and put food in their mouths," and "to go after local workers who are here to support their families while filling the demands of local businesses for their labor is bad policy," were sprinkled throughout.
But since when is a worker who migrated from Central America local? When did American Staffing Resources, a corporation that was founded in Pennsylvania in 1980, become a local Oregon business?
Similar reporting standards were upheld in an April 21 article in the Chicago Tribune regarding the tiny town of Hampshire, Illinois, whose village board voted unanimously to make English their official language. Despite having a Hispanic population of fewer than 3 percent, with an unknown number of those being recent immigrants, representatives from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund were outraged and blamed the action on, "a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment."
Although there were numerous quotes from opponents of the "declaration," only one in support of the vote, from the village president stating how he didn't want to pay for a translator, was included.
Another article printed in the Tribune on the same day from the same author bore the completely neutral headline of, "Suburb's Hispanics feeling unwelcome after election." In that article, an immigrant from El Salvador was described as "confused about the future." Her residency status, she claimed, "isn't anyone's business." Oh, really?
Surprisingly, an article in the Boston Globe in March devoted to an immigration raid on a leather goods factory was much more measured and actually contained a strong statement against the practices of the factory by US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan. However, it was still a "terrifying scene," Yvonne Abraham and Brian R. Ballou wrote. "A lot of people were screaming and crying," one of their quotes read. Aside from being able to fine workers for talking and spending too much time in the bathroom, the owner of the factory employed illegal workers because, " the immigrants were desperate for jobs."
Of course, "local immigration activists were outraged at the arrests ," the article screamed. Among their accusations, the Federal government raid "tore up families" and "devastated communities," as if arresting people for breaking the law was abhorrent. Activists certainly do not see it as a crime. Despite being here illegally, unlike thousands of other immigrants who go through the proper process to gain residency, one of these workers, a mother of two, was proclaimed "not a criminal."
These articles demonstrate an undeniable attempt to obscure the facts of the matter. They make blatant appeals to emotion in order to perpetuate a leftist labor fantasy, wherein the noble immigrant is the hero of a proletarian war against those who would prevent him or her from taking work that is apparently owed to them. By loading their articles with quotes arguing only one side of the issue, these journalists seek to make their opinion into objective fact.
All too many Americans have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.
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