Corporate Latino media has historically had a lot to say at the slightest indication of anything even remotely sounding like “anti-immigrant rhetoric”. Except if an immigrant are conservatives, then they may bite their collective teeth.
This is an example of this: Since last week, a whole week has passed Newsweek’s Adrian Carrasquillo published a story regarding Congresswoman Mayra Flores’ historic win in the recent special election to fill the vacancy in Texas’ 34th Congressional District, and on the upcoming November election in a redrawn seat. Most notable is how Congressman Vicente González, Flores’ November opponent, frames the difference between himself and Flores:
Gonzalez replied to Flores’ claim that Republicans are pounding on airwaves claiming the Party for “God and family” country.
Gonzalez declared, “I believe God. I’m Catholic. I’m patriotic.” “I was not born in Mexico; I was born South Texas.”The son of Korean war veterans.
Gonzalez went even further by using terms commonly used as Republican talk points to oppose immigration policies that have been supported and promoted by Democrats.
“I came here not through chain migration.
This triggered backlash via social media as well as on Spanish-language talk radio. Carrasquillo then wrote a follow-up item and elicited further clarification from González. However, the clarification may have been even worse than the original remarks.
In a text message, Gonzalez told NewsweekI don’t attack her because she was born in Mexico. This country is a celebration of immigrants. With the exception of Native Americans, we all came from immigrants.
He was not pleased that he is running against someone born in Mexico and now opposes other immigrants.
She said she believes in legal immigration but was not forthcoming about her family’s amnesty. He also mentioned his wife being here through “chain migration,” which the Republicans love to refer to as.
Flores repeated in her ads that her family fled Mexico at 6 years of age to immigrate to the U.S. “the legal” way.
Gonzalez claims that Gonzalez is now “in the door”, and wants to leave it “behind her” so that others like her can follow her lead.
“South Texas Latinos have been fighting for equality for many generations,” he stated. “It’s painful when a new immigrant has not respected the generations that paved the way for her arrival.”
So not only does “real Texan” González attack Flores for being an immigrant, but he then tries to clean it up by saying that he was actually calling her out over her stance on immigration- which he did by coming really close to an accusation of race treason. Now, where’s the corporate Latino media on this? Because if an Anglo Republican had said that he was the “Real Texan” in a contested race against an immigrant from Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico, I guaran-dang-tee you that Univision and Telemundo run multiple A-block cycles on the story and would’ve led their newscasts with it on the day that Carrasquillo’s piece first ran.
“Anti-immigrant rhetoric” is their bread and butter. It’s what they do. Any rando yelling “speak English” at a Latino immigrant is virtually guaranteed three minutes on any Univision or Telemundo national newscast. Remember the outrage when Jorge Ramos got himself thrown out of candidate Donald Trump’s press conference in Iowa? Here’s how former Univision co-anchor Maria Elena Salinas reacted:
Jorge has wanted to have a piece from Trump since his first speech in which he declared that he was running for president and stated that Mexico sent criminals, drug dealers and rapists across the border. Most of us who work in Spanish-language media wanted a piece (Trump), and wanted to challenge him, and prove that his claims are false. That’s not all. His words could be considered a declaration against an important section of American society. An aggression against our citizens brings pride and nationalalism to the surface, just as in any other war. Insult Hispanic immigrants with or without papers and you are insulting all Hispanics. These are not the only ones.
Where is the rally to Mayra Flores’ defense? Where are the outraged opinion columns and A-block segments denouncing what is clearly, by Latino corporate media standards, “anti-immigrant rhetoric”? Is she not “one of our own” due to the R next to her name and thinks unauthorized thoughts on such matters as abortion or immigration?
I renew my call to Univision and Telemundo’s national news divisions. Be true to the rules that you have set and condemn this anti-immigrant speech. Or, you can remain complicit.
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