Democrat Wonders: Will Illegal Aliens Ever Be Described As Illegal By The MSM?
I`m not a headline writer, but I sure could have
done better than the
Washington
Post`s caption on its March 22nd story entitled,
"Raids throw shadow over immigration reform rally".
[By David Montgomery, March 22, 2010]
How about "Illegal Alien Demands Throw
Shadow Over US Rule Of Law"?
There, on Sunday, March 21, 2010 in front of our
country`s most cherished symbol of the
Rule of Law,
the
Capitol
of the United States of America, American citizens were
confronted by several thousand law breakers, frequently
called by the MSM
"undocumented immigrants".
At least that term not used in this
Post piece–but then neither is the correct term,
"illegal aliens".
I`m a Democrat, but I find this appalling.
And, of course, the usual
sob-sister
rhetoric comes right at the article`s start and
dominates the piece throughout:
"In the VIP section behind the big stage with a majestic
view of the U.S. Capitol, Esvin Blanco, Oved Vigil and
Edwin Mazariegos showed the
ankle bracelets
they must wear beneath their baggy jeans so U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement can keep track of
them before they face possible
deportation
in coming weeks.
“Onstage a few yards away, Carlos Luna wore an American
flag as a cape in support of his brother, Mauricio,
caught in the same series of raids 11 days ago. And
Cesar Guanoquiza took the microphone to make his public
speaking debut, in honor of a nephew, a brother and a
cousin who were detained.
" `We are not criminals," Guanoquiza declared. "We are
workers here to push this country forward!` "
Sorry, Mr. Guanoquiza, you are a law-breaker and if that
concept escapes you, in this all too rare case of proper
enforcement, apparently it does not escape ICE. (Of
course
David Montgomery`s
article does not say why these two speakers are being
deported—it could be for non-immigration reasons.)
The vast majority of Americans, mired in the worst
recession in decades, agree with CIS`
Mark Krikorian,
who commented,
“`I understand why they use people like this as props,`
as word spread before the march that newly released
detainees would be featured in the program.
“`We`ve made immigration policy for too long on these
wrenching anecdotes,`
said Krikorian, who favors tighter restrictions on
immigration."
Then of course, the standard trumpet flourish of gushing
sympathy which characterizes all the
WaPo articles on immigration:
"Victim,
criminal,
hard-working breadwinner— the illegal immigrant is the
ambiguous symbol at the heart of the debate. And raids,
in which immigration agents
burst into workplaces
and arrest suspected illegal immigrants, are the point
at which the debate ceases to be abstract. Lines are
drawn, sympathy must take sides.
“The recent raids at two popular Maryland restaurants
and other locations have created human and economic
ripple effects that have washed over immigrant and
American families from the Washington region to Central
and South America. The implications even reached the
Obama administration, where officials scrambled to
explain the timing of the actions taking place on the
home turf of pro-immigration activists, who were in the
midst of planning the march.
“One of the themes they had settled upon: `Stop the
raids.`”
The Center for Immigration Studies in February 2010
issued the results of a Zogby poll which showed the
majority of US minorities
thought immigration levels were too high (e.g. Hispanics
56%, Asian Americans 57%, African Americans 68%).
Montgomery continues:
""The three immigrants wearing ankle bracelets couldn`t
stay for the whole march. The bracelets` batteries were
running low. If they didn`t recharge them, immigration
agents would be after them again."
There is absolutely NOTHING ambiguous about this issue.
These folks are here illegally and they are breaking the
law and too often our government has opted not to
enforce the law.
My idea about the proper government action on this march
and for any in the future is simple. Why didn`t the ICE
surround the marchers and establish via proper IDs that
they were here legally–and if not, then impound them
and finish the deportation process.
This absurdity obviously makes a strong case for a
national ID card,
something most civilized nations now require.
Too harsh? Betcha the majority of tax of US taxpayer
citizens agree. We have waited too long in vain to see
our government begin to think of our best interests–not
those of the corporations, who pay big money to elect
the members of Congress.
And certainly not the interested of self appointed
advocacy groups like
LULAC
and the
US Conference of Catholic Bishops,
who basically represent the interests of foreign
governments.
None of this, by the way, was mentioned in Montgomery`s
Post
article. Guess it just doesn`t fit the standard sob
story template.
Donald A. Collins [email
him], is a freelance writer living in Washington DC and a former long time member of the board of FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. His views are his own.
