Lakota Clark

13 November 2017

English 1A

Professor King        

Immigration In The Media

                In recent discussions, the controversial issue of immigration has created a divide in American media news outlets. Legislation concerning the deportation of undocumented immigrants and new border laws passing through the government has incited vehement debates on the left and right side of politics respectively. The left believes that undocumented immigrants should have the right to apply for citizenship and have access to the tools to succeed in America, such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or TPS, programs designed to protect the basic rights of such immigrants. The right, however, believes that it is not America’s responsibility to house illegal immigrants and advocates strengthening America’s border laws to limit the influx of immigration and crime associated with the natural population. Both parties have good intentions in their beliefs and in their prospective legislation. However due to being such a contentious issue and the various news sources the American people can receive their news, the truth has become rather unclear. The rise of fake news and media with apparent agendas have made a way into the mainstream news cycle, implementing subliminal biases and muddling the immigration conversation. It has become common today to dismiss views that don’t coincide with our beliefs, but the truth of immigration is simply a moral, yet reasonable truth.

The left side of politics is routinely seen as the “voice of the people” and tends to be consumed by the younger, liberal demographic. In regards to immigration, liberals have taken moderate approaches to the recent news of the repealment of  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly referred to as DACA, a program for undocumented children brought to the United States by immigrant parents. However, radical takes of the repeal have surfaced in the media. In the article from predominately-democrat website VerifiedPolitics.com, “Trump’s Plan To Deport Quarter Million Immigrants Just Leaked”, author Peter Mellado exaggerates the intent behind the disenfranchisement of the program Temporary Protected Status. Mellado concludes his article with  “...this administration, however, thinks it’s time for them to go back.  DHS does make the final decision, so the fate of these immigrants won’t be sealed until next week’s announcement.  That said, given all the threats coming from this administration, from the President on down, there’s little reason to hold out hope.” (Mellado) The ending gave way to a general feeling of dismay of the Trump administration, which is apparent in the multiple “Impeach Trump” petitions across the website. The article itself was rather informing of current news, but relayed most information from The Washington Post, another news website, instead of conducting their own research. The article would’ve been much more credible if it got rid of any negative bias of the Trump administration and presented news from a primary source, rather than from another news outlet.

Moreover, radical liberal news media tend to omit conversations worth having and instead pushes a certain agenda, such as the concept of immigrants are all welcome, not all are bad, and to have less strict border laws, which are all good in theory but fail to actually understand the problem of such ideas. Little to no border laws would create more issues, and repeating the idea that immigrants aren't bad is wrong, as there are, inevitably, bad immigrants that exist. To say otherwise is false and damaging to a news network’s credibility.

As for the right side of media, conservatives are able to take things to the extreme as well, notably President Donald J. Trump famously declaring immigrants as “rapists and drug dealers” during his 2016 campaign run. Since the election of Trump, conservative extremists have supported Trump’s notion to build a wall in order to keep immigrants from coming to America, and are rather vocal about deportation. In the article, “Crackdown: 200 Illegal Immigrants to Be Prosecuted for Crossing the Border”, author Brendan Kirby makes it very clear in the first sentence that “there is a new sheriff in town” (Kirby 1) and that the “catch-and-release” policy from the Obama administration is out of play. The tone Kirby uses makes it apparent that there is no room for illegal immigrants in the United States, and seemingly supports the stricter changes in immigration law under the Trump administration. The website from which the article stems from, Lifezette.com, is apparent in its support to Trump, with donations and polls supporting his re-election plastered all over the site. The article would’ve been more informing if it has stuck to facts rather than opinion, and if the author kept his bias to himself.

        The right media is well-versed in its conservatism respectively, but since the rise of Trump, extremists in the media have made it clear in their support of stricter border laws, which make it nearly impossible for immigrants or for loved ones to get to see each other. Moreover, being called “illegals” and “terrorists” constantly by the mass media is demeaning and degrading. Not all illegal immigrants who come to the United States are terrorists, as there are opportunities such as work or better education that motivates individuals to seek refuge in the US.

        However, there are articles who bring the topic of immigration to light in a factual and unbiased matter. In the New York Times article, “Fewer Immigrants Means More Jobs? Not so, Economists Say”, the author Binyamin Appelbaum answers the debilitating question of whether or not deporting undocumented immigrants creates more jobs for American people. In fact, it’s not the immigration that’s the problem, but the technological advances we’ve made as a society that is decreasing the job market because machines are capable of doing the same job as the average American worker. The left’s argument that America needs immigrants to do agricultural-related is disproven as well as according to Appelbaum: “When the federal government banned the use of farmworkers from Mexico in 1964, California’s tomato growers did not enlist Americans to harvest the fragile crop. They replaced the lost workers with tomato-picking machines.” (Appelbaum 1) The article provides information concerning immigration and its place in the job sphere, and gives a clear yet unbiased presentation of facts. Liberal and conservative news outlets don’t have to push an agenda in order to present information to the reader and can easily keep a bias out of the article. Furthermore, in the article, “Trump Administration Announces End of Immigration Protection Program For Dreamers” by David Nakamura, an author for The Washington Post, Nakamura doesn’t state his opinion and only provides statements verbatim from White House officials and relevant government leaders without sacrificing important information. Both articles demonstrate integrity and encases little to no subliminal biases towards the topic.

While immigration has been a topic since the establishment of Ellis Island in the 1800’s, the arguments then are still being had today. On one hand, the right argues that regulating the influx of immigrants will hinder international terrorism and provide a general safety for the American people. On the other hand, the left contends that immigration is necessary for job creation and expects social work to be in place for undocumented arrivals. Others even maintain that undocumented immigrants should be banned from the country or just have their citizenship given to them. My own view is that immigration is a tough issue, but not an issue pertinent to immorality. I believe that undocumented immigrants should be able to have the basic tools to succeed in America, which includes being able to get a driver's license, a work visa, and etcetera. Many people would argue that as encouraging illegal immigrants to come to America, but I say that a well-regulated border is a necessity, just as having an identification card to work and get a house is a necessity also. Immigration is a conversation about people, with people who are deciding what we should do with one another. Instead of creating an argument filled with bias, it’s important to remember the issue at hand and to present fairly, with liberty and justice for all.

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Works Cited

Appelbaum, Binyamin. “Fewer Immigrants Mean More Jobs? Not So, Economists Say.”

The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/us/politics/legal-immigration-jobs-economy.html.

Kirby, Brendan. “Crackdown: 200 Illegal Immigrants to Be Prosecuted for Crossing the Border.”

LifeZette, 7 Nov. 2017, www.lifezette.com/polizette/trump-administration-targets-first-time-border-crossers/?utm_content=buffer49cd2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

Mellado, Peter. “Trump's Plan To Deport Over A Quarter Million Immigrants Just Leaked.”

 Verified Politics, 3 Nov. 2017, verifiedpolitics.com/trumps-plan-deport-quarter-million-immigrants-just-leaked/.

Nakamura, David. “Trump Administration Announces End of Immigration Protection Program for ‘Dreamers.’”

The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 Sept. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/09/05/trump-administration-announces-end-of-immigration-protection-program-for-dreamers/?utm_term=.3c89c6ce7a72.