In this week’s discussion with Jorge Ramos, he said that he believes the only way to combat anti-immigrant sentiments is to humanize them by telling their stories. It is clear from a look on his news website that he certainly tries to do this. For precept this week, I chose two articles that Ramos has reported on: “A Love Story at the Border” and “The Children of the Caravan”.
The first article reports on a father migrating to the United States from Honduras to get his daughter with epilepsy and learning difficulties proper care. The pair joined a caravan of migrants traveling from Hondorus because they could not pay the price a smuggler would request. Fortunately, activists and lawyers persuaded American immigration agents to expedite their case and allowed them to cross the border upon arrival. The second article reports on the children of the caravan. He starts, “I’ve seen the ignorant, xenophobic rants on social media about the caravan. They’re terrorists in disguise. They’re Criminals. They’re invaders. They’ve been sent to invade and destabilize the United States. But in the main square of this small town in southern Mexico recently, all I could hear of the caravan were the children’s cries and their laughter.” He shares pictures and videos of the children to dispel the idea that the caravan is a threat.
Media coverage on Latino immigration has roughly paralleled actual rates of immigration from Latin America (Valentino et. al 2012). The reading by Utych this week suggests that dehumanization in media increases anger and disgust toward immigrants, which causes anti-immigrant sentiments. These articles are trying to counteract that narrative.
Discussion Questions:
- To what extent can articles like these counter-act the effects of other media attention on immigration sentiment?
- Do you think individuals with anti-immigrant statements will see these articles and if so how would they respond to them?
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