Messaging And Report Tag: immigration

Acknowledgments

This report was made possible in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Project support from Unbound Philanthropy and the Four Freedoms Fund at Public Interest Projects, Inc. (PIP) also helped support this research and collateral communications materials. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors.

The research and writing of this report was performed by New America Media, under the direction of Jun Wang and Rong Xiaoqing. Further contributions were made by The Opportunity Agenda. Editing was done by Laura Morris, with layout and design by Element Group, New York.

Foreword

In the summer and fall of 2008, The Opportunity Agenda commissioned three reports, to look more closely at the current attitudes and perceptions of immigration in the United States. Following its collection of research from 2006 and 2007, which examined the overall dominant message frames around immigration with specific focus on Web 2.0, African American and Spanish speaking press, we determined it would be beneficial to expand the body of literature by examining more closely two specific issues and two specific media of communication that help shape public discourse and opinion around immigration in our country. The findings and recommendations of our research are presented here in this three-part series.

In the first report of this series, two issues deeply tied to the immigrant experience are examined, public opinion and media coverage of English language acquisition and the children of immigrants. Previous research has shown that the public is greatly interested in immigrants’ ability and willingness to learn English, and also that some openings to promote pro-immigrant policy exist around children. Thus, understanding public perception of these issues is critical to developing strategies to build support for immigration policies.

The second report in this series focuses on Chinese print media in the United States. While continuing to expand the base of immigration support is important, also crucial is further connecting the existing bases. Therefore, examining media coverage of immigrants within their own native speaking and ethnic press offers insight into how these outlets can play a role in promoting immigration reform and integration policies.

Finally, The Opportunity Agenda commissioned a media analysis of broadcast news and talk radio, a gap in our previous scans which focused only on print media. Anecdotal evidence suggested that broadcast coverage played a substantial role in influencing the immigration debate. In this report, both national and local television news outlets were examined, as well as leading television and radio news commentary programs. We were interested in broad trends and how they related to our earlier findings in print as well as to our ethnic media scans.

The Opportunity Agenda is committed to working with leading voices in the pro-immigration movement, understanding that the immigrant experience is an important part of the American story— often an icon of the principles and values that encompass the promise of America. In working to build a national will for opportunity and equality that includes all persons living within our borders, The Opportunity Agenda has developed, with help from its many partners, a core narrative that unifies and strengthens the movement, calling for real solutions that uphold our nation’s values and move us all forward together as one group. In presenting these three reports, we hope that voices in the field not just better understand the messages that frame the immigrant experience, but move closer toward a unified vision that expands the scope of opportunity to all.

Major Findings

• The Chinese press closely followed changes in immigration policy and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) monthly visa bulletins.
• Immigration coverage in Chinese newspapers differed based on the location of the newspaper to reflect local news. For example, Chinese newspapers in New York featured more coverage of immigration raids because there were more raids in New York within that period of time. Immigration coverage also changed throughout the year to reflect seasonal events. For example, all major newspapers focused on H-1B visa issues in April when the visa quota was released, and May was devoted to immigration stories related to Asian Heritage Month.
• Chinese newspapers did not single out undocumented immigrants in their coverage of immigration. Rather they reported on issues such as health care, education, and the economy that affect all immigrants. Chinese newspapers do not seem to have a unified policy on diction: they used the terms undocumented and illegal  interchangeably.
• Chinese newspapers published numerous articles to help new immigrants integrate into American society and culture. At the same time, they helped them keep ties to their home country.
• The Chinese press failed to draw a larger connection between the experience of Chinese immigrants and those from other ethnic communities.

Research Methodology

This report monitors immigration-related stories published in four major Chinese daily newspapers—the China Press, Ming Pao Daily, Sing Tao Daily, and World Journal—from April to June 2008.

Demography of Chinese Newspapers

The China Press, Ming Pao Daily, Sing Tao Daily, and World Journal are four major daily newspapers published in the United States. The China Press was originally sponsored by the Chinese government; the Ming Pao Daily and Sing Tao Daily are based in Hong Kong; and the World Journal is originally from Taiwan. However, today the U.S. editions of all four newspapers are fairly independent, both editorially and operationally, from their home-country headquarters.

The four newspapers have multiple sections including international, U.S., China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Eastern Asian, and local news. Articles that focus on Chinese immigrants in the United States can be found in their national and local news sections. The newspapers’ East and West Coast editions have distinct local news pages that focus on immigrants in these respective geographic areas.

In San Francisco, where there are more than 230,000 Chinese Americans, the Sing Tao Daily has the largest share of the Chinese newspaper market. In Los Angeles, where the Chinese population totals more than 407,000, the World Journal is the leading Chinese newspaper. In the greater New York area, where the population of Chinese immigrants is about 260,000, the average circulation of each of the four newspapers is about 40,000, with the World Journal and Sing Tao Daily slightly higher than the Ming Pao Daily and China Press.

Readership of the four publications has some overlaps. The World Journal is particularly popular among Taiwanese immigrants, and the Sing Tao Daily among Hong Kong and Cantonese-speaking immigrants. The newspapers compete for immigrants from mainland China, especially those from the coastal Fujian province, a major source of undocumented Chinese immigrants.

Monitoring from Two Coasts

Chinese newspapers publish East and West Coast editions and do not have online archives. Jun Wang monitored the immigration coverage of the four Chinese newspapers’ Northwest Coast editions, including stories in the national and local sections. Rong Xiaoqing, a New America Media contractor on the East Coast, monitored immigration stories in the newspapers’ greater New York editions.

Article Classification

This report analyzes 514 immigration-related stories published in the China Press, Ming Pao Daily, Sing Tao Daily, and World Journal from April 1 to June 30, 2008. These include press releases that are covered by all newspapers, as well as original reporting. The stories break down into hard news, features, investigative pieces, profiles, news analysis, and columns.

These stories follow two major tracks: immigrants in the United States, and immigrants’ ties with their home countries (which include primarily mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong but also some Southeast Asian countries where there are large Chinese communities).

In the first track, stories look at various aspects of immigrant life in the United States. These can be divided into four categories:

1. The first step/immigration-status issues: Stories document changes in immigration policy and look at detentions, deportations, raids, and immigrants’ fights for their own rights.
2. Challenges in a new country: Stories include various challenges immigrants face in the United States, such as the language barrier, economic inequality, workplace exploitation, and health issues.
3. Integrating into the mainstream: Stories show immigrants’ contributions to America, both economic and cultural.
4. The cultural beat: Stories cover immigrants’ efforts to remain connected to and to celebrate their heritage.

In the second track, stories display immigrants’ connections with their home countries and how these connections help to strengthen (and, in some cases, hamper) relations between the home countries and the United States.

1. Ties to home countries

This report finds that Chinese newspapers do a great job reporting immigration policy changes and informing their constituency how these changes might affect their lives. They also deserve kudos for educating new immigrants about the resources that are available to them and ways to fit into the new country.

However, the Chinese newspapers seem to be focusing solely on individual stories in the Chinese community and overlook the broader immigration landscape. By doing so, they lose the opportunity to show their readers where they fit in in the overall picture of immigration.

The 514 stories in the four newspapers can be broken down into the following categories:

(Note: Some one-time events that happened during this period of time may have affected the pattern of coverage. For example, the earthquake in China and the Olympics in Beijing significantly increased the number of stories in the “ties to home countries” category.)

1. The first step/immigration-status issues: 148 stories

• Including:
  • Immigration policy and enforcement: 80
  • Immigration court cases (political asylum, marriage fraud, and others): 68

2. Challenges in a new country: 66 stories

• Including:
  • Exploitation and resistance: 18
  • Education: 25
  • Health: 23

3. Integrating into the mainstream: 113 stories

• Including:
  • Political involvement: 31
  • Outstanding immigrants (profiles of those who have been honored for their achievements in the United States): 66
  • Immigrants and the economy: 16

4. The cultural beat: 35 stories

5. Ties to home countries: 152 stories

• Including:
  • Earthquake relief: 117
  • Support for the Olympics: 32
  • Spies for the home country: 3

A Closer Look at the Coverage

Track One: Immigrants in the United States

Stories in Chinese newspapers touched on almost every aspect of immigrants’ lives in the United States, from their challenges to their achievements. Stories can be divided into four major categories.

The first step/immigration-status issues

Stories in this category focused on how immigrants are able to stay in the United States. This is arguably the most important issue that all new immigrants face. It is also the basis of the mainstream debate on immigration reform.

Stories tracked the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigration policy changes and the agency’s operations in processing applications for H-1B working visas, green cards, and citizenship. In April, the month DHS opened the lottery for the quotas of H-1B visas (which allow foreign students to work for a U.S. company after they graduate), all four newspapers followed the lottery process closely. It was such a hot topic because the visa caps not only affect foreign students but also many U.S. companies that rely on foreign workers.

Beyond explanatory journalism detailing these policies, some articles looked deeper into how immigrants navigate the system in order to stay in the United States in both legal and illegal ways. Court cases about applications for political asylum—which is most popular among Chinese immigrants from the Fujian Province—were thoroughly documented, as were crackdowns on undocumented immigrants.

Also included in the category are stories about detentions, deportations, and raids and how these affect the lives of immigrants as well as other Americans. Stories about the immigration debate and immigrants’ fights for their own rights are also included in this category.

• H-1B–related stories  dominated immigration coverage  in April in all four Chinese-language newspapers.
• A story in the Ming Pao Daily on June 29 reported that 60% of applications for premium processing of the I-140 form, a crucial step toward getting a green card, were declined.
• A story in the World Journal on May 1 noted the USCIS promised to clear all green card application backlogs within two years.
• A story in the Sing Tao Daily on April 23, based on Access Washington, the monthly media briefing organized by New America Media, reported that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is aiming to deport all illegal immigrants by  2012.
• A story in the Ming Pao Daily on June 23 found that New York’s Chinatown has been preparing for workplace raids that have been occurring more frequently across the country, so the local economy will not be as hard hit in the case of a raid.
• During May all four newspapers published various stories about the crackdowns on fraudulent marriages (in order to get green cards), and warned readers not to try to get green cards through fraudulent marriages to citizens.
• On May 30 all four newspapers covered a court case in which a Chinese man was arraigned for a fraudulent marriage.

Challenges in a new country

Getting in the door is only the first step. Immigrants find that a long and thorny road awaits them once they successfully manage to stay. Based on the reports in Chinese newspapers, the challenges for a new immigrant could be lurking anywhere from health care to education and the job market.

Chinese newspapers reported that the language barrier was the major challenge Chinese immigrants faced wherever they went, whether to a doctor’s office or a parent-teacher meeting at a child’s school. But newspapers reported that cultural differences also created confusion and misunderstandings, which made many parts of their lives more difficult, from job hunting to child education.

• A story in the World Journal on April 20 suggested ways for immigrant parents to help their Chinese-born children learn English in the United States by watching and discussing children’s television shows, such as Sesame Street, and reading children’s books in English.
• A story in the China Press on May 8 discussed whether physical punishment of children, a common part of traditional educational methods in China, is appropriate in the United States.
• A story in the Sing Tao Daily on May 6 found Asian students, particularly new immigrants who are English-language learners, are not benefiting from President Bush’s No Child Left Behind policy.
• A story in the Ming Pao Daily on June 17 quoted a report released by the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families pointing out that 60% of immigrant families are not benefiting from the early-childhood education programs provided by New York City.

Chinese newspapers reported on immigrant health issues, from changes in diet that could have an effect on their physical health to feeling lost in a different health care system.

• An article in the World Journal on May 2 focused on the different requirements for getting vaccines in China and the United States. It is a common practice among struggling new immigrant parents to send their children back to China to be taken care of by relatives until school age. The article described the move by community leaders to push Chinese hospitals to give these children the vaccines required by the U.S. government, so they can meet the requirements for school enrollment when they return to the United States.
• An article in the China Press on June 25 called attention to the mental health of young immigrants. It told the story of a 17-year-old Chinese boy who immigrated to the United States when he was 10 and has mental health issues.
• On June 7 all four newspapers published stories about new legislation proposed by Chinese American New York State Assemblywoman Ellen Young. The legislation would require the state’s injured workers’ compensation to cover the cost of Chinese acupuncture.

But the toughest challenges for Chinese immigrants may come from the labor market. Chinese newspapers documented cases in which employers took advantage of undocumented Chinese workers, despite the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s attempts to protect all workers regardless of their immigration status.

Reports also document the potential problems and repercussions of the pending E-Verify system that the federal government is attempting to institute, which would require employers to check the Social Security numbers of their employees through the Social Security Administration’s online database, and be held accountable if undocumented immigrants are hired.

• A story in the World Journal on May 22 described the latest labor rights case won by Chinese immigrants: 83 current and former employees of a Japanese restaurant in Manhattan won a total of $593,222 in back pay owed by the employer. Most of the employees were Chinese immigrants. The Department of Labor, which investigated the case, found that the workers were paid less than minimum wage and were not paid for overtime.
• All four newspapers covered a major immigration rally on May 1, organized by various labor and human rights organizations, in which immigrant workers condemned the federal government’s tightened penalties on employers who hire undocumented immigrants.
• A story in the Ming Pao Daily on May 27 reported that, as a result of the workplace raids by ICE across the country, many undocumented immigrant workers would rather take lower paying jobs in New York City, which they considered to be relatively “safe,” than work for higher wages outside the city.

Integrating into the mainstream

Despite their challenges, immigrants try to contribute to society and fulfill their own American dream at the same time. Chinese newspapers documented the successes of immigrants’ efforts to integrate into the American mainstream. These stories included profiles of outstanding immigrants and features about immigrants’ contributions to U.S. economic, academic, and social development.

• A story in the Sing Tao Daily on April 19 profiled two Chinese immigrant owners of small businesses who received an award from the New York Association for New Americans.
• A story in the Sing Tao Daily on April 11 found, although the housing market was down nationwide and stagnant in New York, real-estate prices in the Chinese-dominated neighborhoods of New York were still going up.
• A story in the Ming Pao Daily on May 6 reported on outstanding Asian Americans recognized by the city of San Francisco.
• A story in the World Journal on June 10 profiled three new immigrant students in New York who overcame various challenges, from language barriers to culture shock, in a short time and were named model students when they graduated from high school.

Numerous articles focused on immigrants’ involvement in politics, including community voter-registration efforts and immigrants’ running for office, during this presidential election year.

• An article in the Sing Tao Daily on June 6 reported on the questionnaires sent to presidential candidates by the 80/20 Initiative, an organization aiming to increase the number of Asian voters, in order to determine which candidate the organization would endorse.
• A story in the Ming Pao Daily on June 19 reported that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama joked about Asians’ height when he was a guest on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, which prompted protests in the community.
• A story in the World Journal on June 5, when it was clear that Hillary Clinton would withdraw from the presidential race, reported that Chinese voters would strongly support an Obama-Clinton ticket. Without Clinton, the report noted, Obama might not be able to get as many votes from the Chinese community.
• All four newspapers also closely followed state and local candidates’ campaigns, particularly  those of Chinese candidates and candidates whose districts included Chinese-dominated neighborhoods, such as the Chinatowns in Oakland, San Francisco, and New York.

Some articles provided information to help immigrants better adjust to their lives in the United States.

• An article in the Sing Tao Daily on April 18 covered a forum in which panelists advised immigrants on how to cope with pressure, dress like an American, and educate the second generation, whose members are growing up in an environment with two cultures.
• A story in the China Press on June 17 interviewed legal experts about what immigrants need to know about the U.S. court system, including an immigrant’s ability to testify as a witness in court without incurring questions about his or her own immigration status.
• An article in the China Press on June 19 advised immigrants to report crimes that happen to them or people around them.

The cultural beat

While they are learning to fit into a new culture, immigrants try their best to preserve their own culture as well. Cultural coverage in Chinese newspapers normally includes traditional festivals and ceremonies, such as the Chinese New Year, cultural parades, and relevant art exhibitions. During the studied time period Asian Heritage Month, which is May, became the main theme of this beat. Elected officials, from the New York mayor to the borough presidents, vied to host the celebration ceremony and offered awards to outstanding Asians. These were covered thoroughly by all four newspapers. The annual International Immigrants Cultural Week during the week of June 15 also received a fair amount of coverage.

Track Two: Ties to Home Countries

Immigrants connect to their home countries in various ways. Some of them still have family members living in their home country. But even for those who do not, the home country still keeps its spe- cial position in their hearts. During the studied period of time, on May 12 China suffered its most severe earthquake in three decades. Chinese immigrants in the United States immediately began a relief campaign. From entrepreneurs to delivery workers, regardless of their income or social status, immigrants donated to the relief fund.

The day after the earthquake the China Press devoted seven pages to the disaster. The Sing Tao Daily and the World Journal started a worldwide Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund. They raised more than $5 million in the first month from Chinese immigrants in the United States. All four newspapers documented these relief efforts.

At the same time, the Beijing Olympics drew a great deal of attention from Chinese immigrants. The events and campaigns held by immigrants in the lead-up to the Olympics also made headlines.

Beyond these one-time occasions, articles showed immigrants’ connections to their home countries in various ways.

• An article in the Sing Tao Daily on June 1 told the story of a struggling Chinese American single mother who sent her 11-year-old son to a foster home in China, hoping that her son, who was known for his unruly manners, would learn discipline.
• A story in the Ming Pao Daily on June 2 reported that when the summer holiday began, the number of Chinese American children flying alone to China increased, and airlines were overwhelmed by requests for escorts.
• An article in the Ming Pao Daily on June 12 reported that a major Chinese community organization sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to protest her meeting with the Dalai Lama following the riots in Tibet.

Analysis

By closely following immigrants’ lives in the United States and tracing their roots back to their home countries, Chinese newspapers seem to have done a good job painting a two-dimensional world for immigrants and guiding them in their transition from Chinese to Chinese American. Immigrants are able to get most of the information they need from Chinese newspapers, and observers can easily feel the pulse of the Chinese immigrant community by reading about their challenges, efforts, and achievements as portrayed by the Chinese press.

However, what seems to be missing in their coverage is where Chinese Americans are in the big picture of immigrants in the United States. Chinese newspapers tend to focus solely on Chinese immigrants. Issues shared by all immigrant communities are covered in the Chinese press as if they were problems unique to Chinese immigrants. Without a third dimension—the connection to other immigrant communities—the Chinese newspapers failed to provide the complete picture to immigrants themselves.

For example, the story in the Ming Pao Daily on May 27 about undocumented Chinese immigrant workers who would rather take lower-paid jobs in the relatively “safe” New York City than work for higher wages outside the city, could have included more information about workplace raids by ICE. These raids most often affected Latino immigrants working on farms and in the meatpacking industry rather than Chinese immigrants, who typically work in restaurants, but Chinese immigrants were not told that; their fears of workplace raids came from hearing about these operations. If Chinese newspapers do not inform their readers about what is going on beyond the limits of their own community, the readers will make decisions based on their fears rather than on evidence.

The story in the China Press on June 25 about the 17-year-old Chinese youth who showed symptoms of a mental illness could have mentioned similar cases among other immigrant communities (the most extreme being that of Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech killer who immigrated to the United States from Korea when he was 8). The lack of horizontal comparisons may have cost readers the opportunity to explore whether mental illness is a common problem for young immigrants who come to this country as  preteens.

This pattern was also evident in reports about court cases. Be they about political asylum or marriage fraud, most reports in the Chinese newspapers documented the details of individual cases without providing analysis, and, therefore, failed to explain how individual incidents might affect future cases.

Recommendations

The following recommendations are intended to assist advocates in their messaging through Chinese based media outlets. These recommendations may be helpful in working with other non-English language media.

• Expand reporting by Chinese media on undocumented immigrants beyond coverage of raids, crackdowns, detentions and court cases; to broader issues like health care, education and the  economy.
• Encourage consistent language about “undocumented” and explain concerns about the use  of “illegal.”
• Build on the already existing collection of articles published by Chinese newspapers intended to help new immigrants integrate into mainstream culture. By emphasizing the policies and legislation necessary to facilitate integration, Chinese papers could also help inform and inspire readers about the role they can play in affecting policy.
• Identify bridges between shared experiences with other immigrant groups, helping the Chinese press draw upon a larger connection between the experiences and challenges of Chinese immigrants and those from other ethnic communities.

Prepared for The Opportunity Agenda by Loren Siegel Consulting

Executive Summary

In his essay, “Bridging the Black-Immigrant Divide,”¹ Alan Jenkins, Executive Director of The Opportunity Agenda, observed that the public conversation about immigration policy as reflected in the mainstream media focused in part on the relationship between African Americans and immigrants:

“And much of that conversation was framed in terms of competition and conflict. That framing was no accident. The mainstream media have fixated on potential points of black/immigrant tension, looking for a conflict storyline. And that storyline has been amply fed by conservative anti-immigrant groups intent on driving a wedge between the two communities.”

In order to gain a better understanding of how this conversation was unfolding in the African American press and how that coverage might be influencing African American public opinion we conducted a media scan of eleven major black newspapers nationwide and looked closely at relevant public opinion research.

Media Content Analysis: Major Findings

• The immigration debate as it is being played out on the national stage is not a high priority for the African American press in terms of its regular news coverage.
• The competition and conflict frame is not a dominant frame in the African American press’ news coverage.
• Readers of African American newspapers are being exposed to a range of political views through the publication of thoughtful op-eds and columns by African American leaders and thinkers who are writing about the immigration issue as it affects African Americans.
• The African American press has shown interest in stories about:
  • Black immigrants and refugees from Africa and the Caribbean;
  • Shared injustices (police abuse, low-wage workplace conditions, discrimination);
  • African American local officials who take pro-immigrant stances.

Public Opinion Analysis: Major Findings

• African Americans are more supportive of immigrant rights than whites when it comes to issues of discrimination, unfairness and injustice.
• African Americans are more fearful than whites of negative economic effects of immigration both on the country as a whole and on their own job opportunities.
• Longitudinal research suggests that African American public opinion is shifting in the direction of more negative attitudes and beliefs about immigration and immigrants.

Recommendations

1. Generate and submit op-eds from respected African American thinkers and leaders that respond to the African American public’s fears and promote the shared heritage/common struggle frame.
2. Look for and pitch stories that show concretely how unity between immigrants and African Americans can lift all boats.
3. Use the African American press as a springboard for access to black websites and radio and TV shows.

Introduction

In his essay, “Bridging the Black-Immigrant Divide,”² Alan Jenkins, Executive Director of The Opportunity Agenda, observed that the public conversation about immigration policy as reflected in the mainstream media focused in part on the relationship between African Americans and immigrants:

“And much of that conversation was framed in terms of competition and conflict. That framing was no accident. The mainstream media have fixated on potential points of black/immigrant tension, looking for a conflict storyline. And that storyline has been amply fed by conservative anti-immigrant groups intent on driving a wedge between the two communities.”

In order to gain a better understanding of how this conversation was unfolding in the African American press and how that coverage might be influencing African American public opinion we conducted a media scan of major black newspapers nationwide and looked closely at relevant public opinion research.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) estimates the size of the black print media’s audience at 15 million.³ With an average age of about 44, readers of black newspapers are younger than mainstream newspaper readers, who average 55 years. Ninety percent of the black press audience is high school graduates, 6 in 10 having attended college.⁴

Much of the public conversation about immigration policy among African Americans during the period covered by our scan was taking place on talk radio. Arbitron, the giant media and marketing research firm, estimates that black News/Talk/Information programs capture 2.2 million African American listeners each week.

No study has been published on the role of black talk show hosts in the immigration debate, but according to Greg Johnson, marketing director of KJLH, a leading black radio station in Los Angeles, “It’s definitely one of the hottest topics on talk radio I’ve ever seen.” Johnson reported that after the mass demonstrations in May of 2006 the majority of callers to KJLH favored more conservative enforcement solutions to immigration, but said the station was getting callers on all sides: “Some are adamant to get them [immigrants] out; others say, ‘let’s work with them;’ and others say ‘let’s figure out how to regulate it.’”⁵

A year later, progressive African American columnist Alberta Phillips who writes for the Austin American-Statesman observed that although African Americans are the most loyal supporters of the Democratic Party, “when it comes to the politics of illegal immigration, they often sound more like right-wing Republicans.”⁶ She described the sentiment on black talk radio: “The sentiment is strong and mostly one-sided: Illegal immigrants should not be rewarded for breaking our laws. And by any means necessary, including fences, the government must police and secure the border.”⁷

One prominent talk radio personality who has weighed in heavily on the black- immigrant divide is Warren Ballentine who bills himself as “the People’s Attorney.” Ballentine has a syndicated show that airs on XM’s “The Power” and other black-oriented stations and programs. He takes a strong anti-immigrant position. Appearing on CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight” in the midst of the Senate debate, Ballentine said: “My audience is very upset about this [illegal immigration]. Because it’s destroying the middle class. They’re taking construction jobs, they’re taking trucking jobs.”⁸

The black print media, however, has not adopted this negative frame. While showing little interest in reporting on the national debate over immigration policy per se, the African American press is hospitable to commentary on various aspects of the immigration issue, and reporters are writing stories about shared injustices, whether at the hands of the police or the employer.

Media Scan and Analysis

I. Major Findings

• The immigration debate as it is being played out on the national stage is not a high priority for the African American press in terms of its regular news coverage.
• The competition and conflict frame is not a dominant frame in the African American press’ news coverage.
• Readers of African American newspapers are being exposed to a range of political views through the publication of thoughtful op-eds and columns by African American leaders and thinkers who are writing about the immigration issue as it affects African Americans.
• The African American press has shown interest in stories about:
  • Black immigrants and refugees from Africa and the Caribbean;
  • Shared injustices (police abuse, low-wage workplace conditions, discrimination);
  • African American local officials who take pro-immigrant stances.

II. Search Methodology

We selected eleven African American news outlets based on circulation numbers and geographic distribution:

• Chicago Defender Atlanta Inquirer
• Washington Afro-American Philadelphia Tribune
• Amsterdam News
• LA Sentinel
• Call & Post (Columbus, OH)
• Bay State Banner (Boston, MA) Michigan Citizen
• Miami Times
• Tri-State Defender (Memphis, TN)

Using the search terms “Immigrant” OR “Immigration” we used a random sequence generator to cull 15% of the articles returned to yield about 50 usable articles. The final number of usable articles included in the scan came to 43.

Topic Summaries

May-June 2006 Commentary (8)

This batch includes two pieces by Jesse Jackson, both published in The LA Sentinel in two consecutive editions in May 2006. In the first, Jackson argued passionately for unity between blacks and immigrants emphasizing the common struggle frame:

• “Immigrants of previous generations, including African Americans, should see the new undocumented workers as allies not threats. They share with African Americans a history of repression, of being subjected to back- breaking, soul deadening work-or no work at all. …People of color are brothers and sisters under and of the skin, whether we are called undocumented ‘Latino’ immigrants or ‘African Americans.’ No human being is ‘illegal.’ All human beings have human rights.” (“Si Se Puede means We Shall Overcome,” May 4-10, 2006)

In the second, he rebutted several common myths about Latino immigrants, charged that “the truth is often distorted in ways that feed our divisions,” and promoted a unity frame by reminding readers that the nation’s immigration policy is racially and ethnically discriminatory:

• “In the current atmosphere, we ignore the many contradictions of our immigration policy. Cuban immigrants are invited into America, welcomed and subsidized. They are pawns in our continuing cold War face-off with Fidel Castro. Immigrants from neighboring Haiti are locked out and shipped back. Vigilantes hunt immigrants coming over the Mexican border. But the Canadian border is basically unguarded, and undocumented immigrants from Canada raise no interest and are never called ‘illegals.’ Yet, so far as we know, the terrorists coming over the border have come through Canada, not through Mexico…We need comprehensive immigration reform. One that removes the discrimination that embraces Europeans and excludes Africans, or hunts Mexicans and hugs Canadians. But we should remember that America is a nation of immigrants-that’s a fact, not a legend.” (“Immigration: Myths and Reality,” May 11-17, 2006)

The LA-based columnist Earl Ofari Hutchinson also had two pieces during this timeframe, both in the Chicago Defender. Hutchinson’s columns focused on the political realities of immigration reform and only indirectly commented on the black/immigrant divide:

Calling President Bush’s proposal “a humane, balanced immigration reform law” he predicts that Republican lawmakers will pass it for purely political reasons—to win the Latino vote. “Why Republicans will cave on immigration reform,” May 1-2, 2006)

In his second column Hutchinson argued that bigger and stronger border fences and more agents have “not stopped thousands of desperate foreign workers from south of the border from getting in” nor have a few “showy raids” by Homeland security and INS done much to stop the flow. “The issue,” he writes, “is still jobs and poverty…The millions who enter the U.S. legally or illegally come to work and escape poverty in their countries. Businesses, trade and manufacturing associations put the welcome mat out for them…” He concludes: “Bush’s tough talk on border security might cool some of Congress’ anger, but it’s a fool’s paradise measure that won’t put a dent in the illegal immigrant problem.” (“Bush’s border militarization foible,” May 22-23, 2006)

George Curry, the Editor-in-Chief of the NNPA News Service and BlackPressUSA.com used his column in The Chicago Defender to warn African Americans that their civil rights movement was being eclipsed by the immigrant rights movement. Comparing the huge turnout for “Latino street demonstrations in more than 75 cities on April 10” with the small turnout of African Americans marching on the same day in New Orleans to protect the voting rights of displaced residents he wrote:

• “Let’s face it: There is eagerness on the part of many to focus on the growing Hispanic population and ignore the long-standing needs that Blacks are entitled to. It is our job, however, to stand up and be counted.” He calls for “Act II” of the civil rights movement. (“Another Day of Absence,” May 4, 2006)

News reports (5)

News coverage of the massive protests in May of 2006 was relatively sparse as was coverage of the immigration reform debate in Congress.

• Protests: An article in the Amsterdam News about the “Day Without Immigrants” focused on the role played by labor unions in planning and executing “the host of rallies, teach-ins, voter registration drives, boycotts, human chains and other activities from New York to Los Angeles. The article concluded with a quote from labor leader Hector Figueroa: “Noting rightwing opponents’ tendency to try to drive a wedge between the immigrants’ rights activists and the African American community by using the double-digit unemployment rate in that community as a justification for their extremist views, Figueroa concedes that it is important for everyone to see the immigrants’ rights movement as part of a continuum that includes the Civil Rights movement. He says, echoing a sentiment expressed by many labor leaders, ‘All workers suffer when one group of workers can be exploited.’” (“Labor’s role: A day without immigrants,” May 4-10, 2006)
• Bush proposal: Two papers published articles that treated the President’s reform proposal with favor. In The Call & Post reporter Ike Mgbatogu wrote: “President Bush gave a compelling speech to the nation on immigration reform Monday. He spoke forcefully and eloquently. Above all, he did not cave in to pressure from some in his party calling for jettisoning his controversial ‘temporary guest worker’ proposal to appease his conservative minions and begin to reconnect with his disenchanted political base.” (May 18-24, 2006). The Amsterdam News’ Caribbean Update section carried an article quoting Rickford Burke, head of the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy: “The president has set the tone for this debate, which is quite civil and humane.” (May 25-31, 2006)

October-December 2006

Commentary (3)

Rev. William D. Smart, Jr. of the LA Alliance for a New Economy and pastor of Faith Liberty Tabernacle published a piece in the Sentinel calling for unity among service industry workers:

• “African Americans once dominated the hospitality industry, but with the boom of immigrants migrating to the US in search of a better life for their families, blacks saw their numbers dwindle. Now, as hotel workers across the country demand better conditions, they are also joining with African Americans community leaders to insist that African Americans share the benefits of this effort to transform poverty-wage jobs into middle-class jobs…Both African Americans and immigrants have suffered under these conditions [low wage work and poverty]. It’s time for a change. With African Americans increasingly taking a leadership role in the battle for economic justice, the Black community as a whole is beginning to see some rays of hope. But this equality fight isn’t just a Black thing. It is something that unites all those seeking the betterment of our communities and this country.” (“Making Room at the Inn for our Community,” October 12-18, 2006)
• Beverly Julal and Clair Davis published an article entitled, “Nation enriched by its immigrants” in the Caribbean News! Section of the Philadelphia Tribune in which they criticized “anti-immigrant sentiments”: “The fact of the matter is that most immigrants do not take American jobs. The jobs that they fill are usually jobs that many Americans would prefer not to do or where labor shortages exist. A lot of them are farm workers. But even more importantly, many of them become entrepreneurs.” The article ended with a question and a plea: “Whose home is this anyway? History tells us that the only race of people that is native to this land in the American Indian. Others who call themselves Americans either migrated here willingly or were brought to this country in chains. Regardless of how we got here, we are all struggling to make a better future for ourselves and for our children. Can’t we all just get along?” (October 15, 2006)
• In his op-ed “Gangs and Street Power: The Facts and Faces of Gangs,” published in the LA Sentinel, writer/filmmaker Darryl James attacked the “misperception that African Americans either started gangs, or that they are the majority of gang members in the nation.” Citing U.S. Department of Justice statistics, he pointed out that forty-seven per cent of gang members were Hispanic compared to thirty-one percent African American—“And a huge percentage of Hispanic gangs are illegal aliens.” James continued, “Is this a statement to somehow indict Hispanics or illegal immigrants? No, but it is a statement to stop the wholesale indictment of young Black men, who are more frequently targeted and misidentified as gang members than any other ethnic group in the nation.”

News reports (8)

• Caribbean Focus: Two of the newspapers have sections devoted to the Caribbean, the Amsterdam News and the Philadelphia Tribune. This batch of articles contained two pieces from the Tribune about that part of the world. “Jamaican expatriates help homeland grow” was about the founding of the U.S. Diaspora Advisory Board; “Debating regional ‘brain drain’” focused on the fact that 40 percent of the Caribbean community’s most educated nationals have migrated elsewhere.
• Labor Focus: Two articles in the Amsterdam News reported on labor struggles. “Rights group sues USICE” reported on a lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of Latino workers in Georgia who were victims of a raid by federal agents: “The series of raids across several towns in at least three counties lasted several weeks. They were ostensibly intended to locate undocumented immigrants who work in a poultry plant. Hundreds of residents were traumatized by the raids.” (November 9-15, 2006) The second article had a common struggle theme: “The 5,500 Black and Latino workers who slave away in the world’s largest hog slaughterhouse have won a major victory.” In a description of a two-day walkout at Smithfield Packing the story pointed out, “Smithfield workers have long voiced outrage over harsh working conditions that included brutally fast production lines, crippling injuries and a climate that pitted Black workers against newly arrived low-wage Latino immigrants.” (December 7-13, 2006)

April-June, 2007

Commentary (7)

• A syndicated column by Bill Fletcher, Jr., the past president of TransAfrica Forum, was published in the Chicago Defender and the Miami Times. “Immigration broadening the reparations debate” gives an anti-imperialist analysis of migration from the Global South to western industrialized countries and stresses the communality between the descendants of African slaves and the victims of “gunboat diplomacy” in Latin America: “We, African Americans who support reparations for African Americans as a result of slavery and Jim Crow segregation, argue that central to this demand is the recognition that a fundamental wrong was done to us and that the damage has never been fully, or even significantly, repaired…The same question, albeit with different facts, applies when we are thinking about people coming from the Global South to the USA.”
• Judge Greg Mathis, national vice president of Rainbow PUSH published an op-ed in the Miami Times entitled, “Black people want to make a living.” It points to the rising unemployment rates in the black community and takes issue with the guest worker proposal: “It comes as a slap in the face that many believe a guest worker program is the solution to the country’s worker shortage…The thinking behind the [guest worker] program makes sense – the U.S. wants to give those who come to our country an opportunity to earn a living and provide for their families. But what about Blacks, on whose backs the wealth of this nation was built?”
• “The immigration divide” by Lee H. Walker, president of The New Coalition for Economic & Social Change” was published by the Chicago Defender. In it, the author confronted the black/immigrant divide directly: “Moderate and conservative Democrats seem to be in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, while a smaller group of Democrats, including many Black leaders, are opposed…With respect to the racial dynamic, most Blacks in political and community leadership are opposed to immigration based on the conventional wisdom that the low skilled workers coming across the border from Mexico are taking jobs from Blacks and the poor. However, recent studies do not support this theory.” Walker argued that “the solution to Black’s economic woes is not turning back immigrants; it is equipping native Blacks with the basic skills and attitudes towards work that will enable them to compete. It is truer now than ever before that education is the best road to freedom…rather than relying on an abundance of low-skilled jobs.” He concluded that “Blacks should not feel threatened by low-skilled immigrants who arrive without even being able to speak the language. If we focus on education and entrepreneurship, we can thrive alongside the immigrants.”
• An editorial in the Columbus Call & Post observed that the issue of immigration “is a tangled one for all Americans – and particularly, in many ways, for African Americans.”  It argued that the economic concerns of  African Americans are legitimate—jobs in some industries are being shifted to immigrant labor. But it cautioned readers about aligning themselves with “nativists” like Pat Buchanan and Bill O’Reilly “who do not have the interests of African Americans at heart…African Americans have a legitimate interest  in ensuring that a job market that could offer upward mobility in tough times,  at least at the bottom, is not flooded by illegal labor designed to keep wages cheap. At the same time, we must be careful that we do not find ourselves aligned with those whose interests may be totally antagonistic to our own.”
• Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, published an op-ed in the Chicago Defender following the demise of the “grand bargain.” Titled, “Failure of U.S. Senate to pass immigration compromise is blessing in disguise,” Morial argued that if passed, the legislation would have “undermined labor protections for all workers and would have exacted a great toll on an already frayed social safety net.” He explained that the Urban League’s greatest concern revolved around the temporary worker provision which would “produce a new class of exploited workers” and argued that native American workers should have the “first right to jobs employers are seeking temporary visas for.”

News Reports (14)

• Urban growth: An article in the Philadelphia Tribune, “Immigrants keep metro population growing,” reports on a study by the Population Reference Bureau showing that but for the increase in immigrants, the populations of big and small metro areas would be shrinking. The article explains, “Many demographers associate shrinking populations with economic problems, typically poor job markets or prohibitive housing prices (sic)” and quotes William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institute: “A lot of cities rely on immigration to prop up their housing market and prop up their economics. But the article concludes with a quote from Steven Camarota (Center for Immigration Studies): “Don’t we have concerns about congestion and sprawl and pollution?” For a piece in the Bay State Banner the reporter interviewed people who congregated at the Butterfly Café, “the epicenter of a small by active community of Somali political refugees in Boston.” The article traced some of the history of the internecine conflict in Somalia and quoted a leader from the Somali Development Center: “We concentrate on the youth and women, emphasizing the great new opportunities they have in this country…”
• Police shooting: Two articles in the Amsterdam News covered the police shooting of an unarmed immigrant from Honduras. “A dreamer returns home in a casket” by Herb Boyd quoted Rev. Al Sharpton who delivered a eulogy at the funeral: “Rather than finding the American dream he experienced the American nightmare.” The second article reported on a meeting between the grieving family and the Bronx DA—“Arzu’s family, residents and local activists raise suspicions over the NYPD’s perceived tendency to favor killing young Black men, given the recent shooting of Sean Bell and many others before and since.”
• Unfair policies and practices: A number of articles described unfair and discriminatory practices. The Amsterdam News’ Caribbean Update section carried a story about a personal appeal by the Bishop of the Episcopal Church to President Bush on behalf of 101 Haitian migrants who entered the country illegally: “Returning the migrants to Haiti would be a cruel and unjust act.” The article makes the point that Haitians, unlike Cubans, do not benefit from the “wet foot, dry land” policy and are sent back despite their asylum claims. A Miami Times article, “Immigrants: Jailed like criminals,” describes the plight of Marlene Jaggernauth, “a 42-year-old single mother from Trinidad who has been a permanent citizen in the U.S. since the age of 12. Four years ago, she was pulled from her home and handcuffed in front of her four children for a crime [shoplifting] she committed in the 1990s.” The article quotes Cheryl Little of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center: “Immigrants represent the fastest growing prison population in the nation due to the current immigration law…. They have no rights and are often treated poorly and inhumanely.” A second Miami Times article focused on litigation against workplace English-only rules: “The number of charges filed with the federal EEOC alleging discrimination based on English-only policies is small, but six times as large as 10 years ago.” It cites a $900,000 settlement against a New York-based geriatric center that barred Haitian employees from speaking Creole while allowing other foreign languages to be spoken.
• Pro-reform public officials: The Miami Times ran an article about County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson leading a delegation of members of the Miami Community Relations Board and leaders of local advocacy groups to Washington “to educate members of Congress about our community’s priorities for fair and just immigration reform.” Edmonson is quoted as saying, “The diversity that exists in Miami-Dade County is reflective of the future of our nation. We have and continue to benefit enormously from the great contributions of those who have migrated to our county. We are an example to the rest of the nation.” An article in the Call & Post, “Coleman meets with African immigrants,” described a lunch meeting at which Mayor Michael Coleman of Columbus hosted African community leaders to discuss their concerns. “With a trio of professors Malik Ba of Columbus State, Emeka Aniagolu of Ohio Wesleyan and Abdi Mahmoud with the Ohio Department of Education speaking for the group, it was suggested that something be done to ease the constant tension and antagonism plaguing African immigrants and American Blacks.” Columbus is described in the article as a “welcoming city” with a “jocular and popular mayor.”
• Immigration policy debate: There were only two news articles about the Senate debate. A 500-word piece in the June 8-10 edition of the Chicago Defender gave a straightforward report on the demise of the “grand bargain,” quoting Senators Reid and McConnell. An article in the June 14-20 edition of the Amsterdam News entitled “Immigration bill dumped, Labor ponders next steps” focused on the labor movement’s opposition to the guest worker program. It contained strong quotes from several labor leaders:
  • “We are a nation of citizens, not of guests.” Terry O’Sullivan, Laborers
  • “All workers deserve immigration reform that respects the fundamental American values of inclusion and democracy. While undocumented workers lack the path to participate in U.S. democracy and achieve the American dream, their unscrupulous employers play our dysfunctional immigration system for their own gain.” United Food and Commercial Workers Union statement
  • “As long as employers have access to a class of workers that they can prevent from exercising their rights by merely asking a simple question: ‘Do you have papers?”, the incentive to exploit will continue. One key to removing that incentive is to regularize the status of the undocumented population through inclusive, practical and swift legalization.” Jon Hiatt, AFL-CIO

Analysis

1. News coverage—no dominant frame

In comparison with the mainstream media, the African American press devoted very little space to the immigration policy debate—with its emphasis on Hispanics in general and Mexicans in particular—in its news reporting in 2006-2007. Of the 27 usable news articles in our scan, only three covered the debate in Congress (and the coverage was perfunctory), and only two covered the mass immigrant rights demonstrations in May 2006. To the extent that immigrant issues received much attention, issues affecting immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean were more often the focus, e.g.:

• “Bishop calls for asylum for Haitians” (Amsterdam News)
• “Somali refugees congregate, caffeinate at Butterfly Café” (Bay State Banner)
• “Coleman meets with African immigrants” (Call & Post)
• “Jamaican expatriates help homeland grow” (Philadelphia Tribune)
• “Congolese man speaks out against immigration proposals” (Chicago Defender)

The competition/conflict frame was not dominant or even present in the news coverage of immigrants and immigration. The black-immigrant divide was alluded to in only one article—about the May 1, 2006 protests— in a quote from a Latino labor leader:

“Noting rightwing opponents’ tendency to try to drive a wedge between the immigrant rights activists and the African American community by using the double-digit unemployment rate in that community as justification for their extremely views, Figueroa [Hector Figueroa, Vice President of SEIU Local 32BJ) concedes that it is important for everyone to see the immigrant rights movement as part of a continuum that includes the Civil Rights movement. He says, echoing a sentiment expressed by many labor leaders, ‘All workers suffer when one group of workers can be exploited.’” (Amsterdam News)

There were no news articles that focused on or even mentioned the issue of competition for low-wage jobs.

Several articles did have a common struggle frame. The Amsterdam News’ coverage of the fatal police shooting of an unarmed Honduran immigrant in New York emphasized the solidarity between Sean Bell’s family, who were present at the funeral, and the family of Fermin Arzu, the immigrant who was killed. Another Amsterdam News article covered a two-day walkout over harsh working conditions in a Tar Heel, North Carolina hog slaughterhouse in which black and Latino workers united in spite of  “a climate that pitted Black workers against newly arrived low-wage Latino immigrants” to win major concessions from management.

It’s worth drawing attention to two articles that headlined the pro-immigrant policies of local African American political leaders. The Call & Post ran an upbeat story about Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman’s meeting with leaders of that city’s African immigrant community at which “it was suggested that something be done to ease the constant tension and antagonism plaguing African immigrants and American blacks.” Mayor Coleman’s “New American” initiative for “addressing the concerns of a city experiencing a migration boom” was favorably mentioned. An article in the Miami Times, “Edmonson takes immigration reform to Washington,” describes the efforts of Audrey Edmonson, an African American Dade County Commissioner “to educate members of Congress about our community’s priorities for fair and just immigration reform.” Edmonson is quoted as saying, “We have and continue to benefit enormously from the great contributions of those who have migrated to our country. We are an example to the rest of the nation.”

2. Commentary—confronting the black-immigrant divide

Almost half of the articles in our scan were commentary and unlike the news reports, many of these op-eds, columns and editorials confronted the black-immigrant divide directly. Overall, they tended to be thoughtful pieces that examined deep systemic causes and effects, and they are worth quoting extensively. The authors represented a range of opinion in the African American community, but none were stridently anti- immigrant and many promoted a common struggle/common heritage frame. These last included two op-eds by Jesse Jackson, a syndicated column by Bill Fletcher, Jr., and a column by Rev. William D. Smart, Jr., director of the LA Alliance for a New Economy and pastor of the Faith Liberty Tabernacle.

Jesse Jackson’s “’Si Se Puede’ Means We Shall Overcome” argued forcefully for unity among all low-wage workers as the best strategy for raising everyone’s boats. He urged his readers not to blame immigrants for their economic problems and worries but to direct their anger at “global corporations” and their servants in Washington. He reminded readers of this country’s history of anti-immigrant anger and rhetoric and  warned of new violence against immigrants. He pointed out that besides sharing common hopes and dreams (“a better future for their children”) African Americans and today’s undocumented workers “share a common heritage”:

“Less than ten percent of enslaved Africans ended up in the United States. The vast majority were shipped to Latin America and the West Indies. Numerous Asian workers were also brought to the Caribbean and Latin America to serve as cheap labor. People of color are brothers and sisters under and of the skin, whether we are called undocumented ‘Latino’ immigrants or ‘African Americans.’”

Fletcher’s column, which ran in both the Miami Times and the Chicago Defender, also pointed out the common heritage of African Americans and Latinos in the context of colonialism’s role in “turning nations of the Global South into nations of migrants.” He observed that those who support reparations for African Americans base their argument on “the recognition that a fundamental wrong was done to us and that the damage has never been fully, or even significantly, repaired.” The same logic, Fletcher wrote, applies to today’s immigrants:

“We simply cannot pretend that people are coming to the USA because of the dream of golden paved streets. They are coming here in large part because their chance to live their own lives in their homes—where they would rather stay—has been undermined by what government after government in the Western world, including but not limited to the U.S. government, have done to these regions.”

In “Making Room at the Inn for our Community” published in the Sentinel Rev. William D. Smart, Jr. celebrated a UNITE HERE victory for service workers at the Beverly Hilton and wrote:

“African Americans once dominated the hospitality industry, but with the boom of immigrants migrating to the US in search of a better life for their families, blacks saw their numbers dwindle. Now, as hotel workers across the country demand better conditions, they are also joining with African American community leaders to insist that African Americans share the benefits of this effort to transform poverty-wage jobs into middle-class jobs. Both African Americans and immigrants have suffered under these conditions. It’s time for a change…This equality fight isn’t just a Black thing. It is something that unites all those seeking the betterment of our communities and this country.”

Some opinion pieces targeted President Bush’s guest worker proposal for special criticism on the ground that if adopted, it would hurt African Americans. Marc Morial of the National Urban League published a piece in the Chicago Defender in June of 2007 entitled, “Failure of U.S. Senate to pass immigration compromise is a blessing in disguise.” Expressing concern about the proposal that would allow U.S.-based companies to bring as many as 200,000 foreign-born guest workers a year into the nation Morial argued:

“Any effort to issue these temporary worker visas should be narrowly tailored and combined with a requirement that the nation’s current workers—Black, white, Hispanic, Asian or Native American—be given the first right to jobs employers are seeking temporary visas for.”

Judge Greg Mathis of SCLC’s piece, “Black people want to make a living,” was published in the June 6-12 2007 issue of the Miami Times. He conceded that the “thinking behind the [guest worker] program makes sense—the U.S. wants to give those who come to our country an opportunity to earn a living provide for their families” but pointedly asked:

“But what about Blacks, on whose backs the wealth of this nation was built? Much of this shortage of skilled workers can be blamed by the government’s inability to provide an adequate public education system that equally prepares young people for the college and the workforce. We got ourselves into the mess, and we need to get ourselves out of it. The guest worker program is one way.

But Blacks should not be excluded from the solution.”

Several commentators urged readers to reject anti-immigrant ideas and to refrain from aligning themselves with those who do not have the interests of African Americans at heart. Lee H. Walker, President of the New Coalition for Economic and Social Change, published an op-ed in the Chicago Defender in June 2007 in which he observed that “it is a well known fact among Blacks that America’s free market system has had a longstanding preference for immigrant labor over indigenous Black workers” and that “immigration policy has always uncovered a form of discrimination and/or racism, and this present debate is no exception”:

“Now we are beginning to hear comments like ‘Blacks and whites will have to band together to protect our country from the immigrants.’ Unfortunately, I hate to admit that some Blacks are buying into this…The solution to Blacks’ economic woes is not turning back immigrants; it is equipping native Blacks with the basic skills and attitudes towards work that will enable them to compete. Education is the best road to freedom.”

In a thoughtful editorial published in mid-June 2007 during the height of the immigration debate, the Call & Post observed that “the issue of immigration is a tangled one for all Americans—and particularly for African Americans”:

“Contrary to what President Bush has said, illegal immigrants are working in jobs that Americans have always done: processing carcasses in meat-packing plants; working as roofers and other laborers on construction sites; performing landscaping services; working in hotels and restaurants of all types and sizes….during the rebuilding in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina, there were complaints that local African American workers were not being hired by contractors in favor of undocumented workers from across the border…At the same time, many African Americans may be uncomfortable with the attitude and language of some of the most strident opponents of the ‘grand bargain’ on immigration. Consider the words of conservatives such as Pat Buchanan and Bill O’Reilly…When these nativists speak, it is clear that they do not have the interests of African Americans at heart.”

Public Opinion Analysis

I. Major Findings

• African Americans are more supportive of immigrant rights than whites when it comes to issues of discrimination, unfairness and injustice.
• African Americans are more fearful than whites of negative economic effects of immigration both on the country as a whole and on their own job opportunities.
• Longitudinal research suggests that African American public opinion is shifting in the direction of more negative attitudes and beliefs about immigration and immigrants.

II. Analysis

In July 2007 the Leadership Conference commissioned a series of four African American focus groups in Detroit and Houston. Participants included men and women from both blue collar and white collar backgrounds. Many of the findings were disturbing:9

• African American participants view immigrants as economic competitors who are taking jobs and lowering wages.
• In addition to economic pressures, African American participants report some cultural anxiety typically associated with more conservative whites.
• Stereotypes about immigrants persist, and the perception that immigrants unfairly take from the system is widespread.
• Participants do associate some good qualities with immigrants, but it comes mostly in the form of grudging respect and admiration.
• Participants in the African American groups believe that discrimination is alive and well in America and that African Americans are the most discriminated against. While they believe Latinos are the second most discriminated against they do not feel a sense of “shared” or “linked” fate and reject the idea that “we’re all in it together.”
• Participants want “tough enforcement” meaning tougher border controls, tougher enforcement of employment laws, and more stringent requirements for legalization.

Available quantitative public opinion research does not paint as bleak a picture, but does indicate that African American opinion is moving in the direction of the attitudes and beliefs uncovered in the focus groups. The data suggest that the negative frame of conflict and competition between blacks and immigrants, found in both mainstream media coverage and black talk radio, although not in the black press, is having an impact.

In March 2006 the Pew Research Center and Pew Hispanic Center published a report on their recent survey, “No Consensus on Immigration Problem or Proposed Fixes: America’s Immigration Quandary.¹⁰ The survey analyzed the data by race and ethnicity and found that with only one exception, blacks either felt the same as whites, or they were more receptive to immigrant rights than were whites. The one exception was a question about jobs indicating that blacks were significantly more concerned about competition over jobs than were whites:

Q. Do you think that the immigrants coming into this country today mostly take jobs away from American citizens, or do they mostly take jobs Americans don’t want?

Blacks were more supportive of social services for “illegal immigrants” than whites, although a bare majority did agree that immigrants should be ineligible:

Q. Should illegal immigrants who are in the U.S. be eligible for social services provided by state and local governments?

And they were strongly in favor of public education for immigrant children:

Q. Should the children of illegal immigrants who are in the U.S. be permitted to attend public schools?

Blacks opposed a constitutional amendment barring citizenship to children of illegal immigrants by a 60% majority, compared to 47% of whites:

Q. Should we amend the Constitution to bar citizenship to children of illegal immigrants?

Responses to Gallup’s annual Minority Rights and Relations survey¹¹ indicate that black public opinion is gradually becoming more negative with respect to the effect of immigration on the country as a whole. Over the past seven years African American opinion has shifted 15 percent in the direction of support for decreasing immigration levels.

Q. In your view, should immigration be kept at its present level, increased or decreased?

And an eight point shift in the direction of immigration being “a bad thing for the country.”

Q. On the whole, do you think immigration is a good thing or a bad thing for the country today?

They are also becoming more fearful on a personal level. In 2007, eleven percent more blacks felt immigrants were hurting their job opportunities than in  2001.

Q. Are immigrants making job opportunities for you and your family better, worse, or not having much effect?

Over the same time span there was a 13% increase in the percentage of blacks who thought immigrants were having a negative effect on the economy  overall.

Q.  Are immigrants making the economy in general better, worse, no effect?

Recommendations

In spite of a declining readership since its heyday in the 1960s, the African American press is an important vehicle for communicating with a segment of the African American public—a segment which, according to the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association, is well-educated and civically engaged. Immigrant rights activists should develop and execute a proactive strategy to influence readers of the black press and use access to the press as a springboard for increasing their exposure on popular black websites and radio shows.

1. Generate and submit op-eds from respected African American thinkers and leaders that respond to the African American public’s fears and promote the shared heritage/common struggle frame.

Advocacy around issues affecting the African American community is a central mission of the black press. Advocates can take advantage of the willingness of these newspapers to publish thoughtful opinion pieces on the immigration issue—the more, the better. New studies that explain the actual economic impact of immigrants on the employment opportunities of African Americans should be summarized and clearly presented in op-ed form. Op-ed authors should include local black public officials like Mayor Michael Coleman of Columbus, Ohio who can explain why his city welcomes   new immigrants. Advocates should pitch story ideas to columnists who are already syndicated and who adopt a common heritage/common struggle frame (e.g., Bill Fletcher, Jr. and Earl Ofari Hutchinson).

2. Look for and pitch stories that show concretely how unity between immigrants and African Americans can lift all boats.

Our scan suggests that reporters for black newspapers are receptive to positive stories about real life cooperation between blacks and immigrants. Advocates should seek out and pitch story ideas that emphasize cooperation. The labor movement is good place to look, and African American labor leaders who are actively promoting  cooperation would be good sources of information. Workplace struggles in which blacks and Latinos band together for a common purpose make the common struggle frame come to life and undercut fears of competition over jobs. Other areas where blacks and immigrants come together and fight for common goals, e.g., racial profiling and police abuse, environmental racism, health and education inequities, should be mined for story ideas and pitched to reporters.

3. Use the African American press as a springboard for access to black websites and radio and TV shows.

A critical mass of coverage and commentary in the black press will enhance advocates’ access to more far-reaching forms of communication with the African American public. The Tom Joyner Morning Show, for example, has an estimated eight million listeners in any given week in about 120 markets where the show is syndicated.14 Joyner has a wide range of guests on his four-hour show, from entertainers to scholars, and would very likely be amenable to discussion of bridging the black-immigrant divide. Tavis Smiley’s show on PBS is another obvious target.

Notes

1. Published on TomPaine.common sense, February 20,  2007

2. Published on TomPaine.common sense, February 20, 2007

3. That is the estimate of the major trade association of African American newspaper publishers. Subscriptions to African American newspapers, however, have been declining for quite some time. Amsterdam News subscriptions, for example, fell from 18,700 in 2004 to 13,175 in 2006. Annual Report on American Journalism, “The State of the News Media 2007″. All  the newspapers we scanned have websites, but it was beyond the scope of this study to look at online readership figures.

4.  Ibid.

5.  Daniel B. Wood, “Rising black-Latino Clash on Jobs,” The Christian Science Monitor, May 25, 2006.

6.  Alberta Phillips, “For blacks, immigration debate means a fight over value, values,” Austin American- Statesman, May 25, 2007.

7.  Phillips also says blacks”have legitimate concerns that should be debated, not dodged or dismissed as racist.”

8. Transcript, Lou Dobbs Tonights; Bush Attempts to Rescue Immigration Package; Aired June 12, 2007

9.  Unpublished Memorandum from Lake Research Partners, July 25, 2007.

10.  “No Consensus on Immigration Problem or Proposed Fixes: America’s Immigration Quandary,” Pew Research Center for the People & the Press/Pew Hispanic Center (March 30, 2006), based on a nationwide sample of 2,000 adults 18 years of age or older conducted from February 8-March 7, 2006.

11.  Based on nationwide sample of 2,300 adults, including over-samplings of non-Hispanic blacks.

12.  In 2007 the responses of non-Hispanic whites were 35% present level, 12% increased, and 48% decreased; the difference between 46% and 48% is statistically insignificant.

13.  White responses to this question were not significantly different from black responses. In 2007 59% of whites responded “good”; 35% responded  “bad.”

14.  Felicia Lee, “Building a Conversation, One Radio Show at a Time,” New York Times, February 13, 2007. Joyner also presides over BlackAmericaWeb.com which he launched in 2001. The website is described as “a broad-based effort to become a timely and credible source for news and information covering all aspects of daily life, featuring a wide array of viewpoints and perspectives.”

​

 Prepared for The Opportunity Agenda by Elena Shore, Editor/Latino Media Monitor, New America Media

MAJOR FINDINGS

• Hispanic media played a leadership role in mobilizing Latinos and advocating for their communities.
• Hispanic press coverage focused on human stories.
• The Hispanic press linked anti-immigrant messages to racism.
• The Hispanic press failed to respond in a clear, unified manner to the attacks on immigrants from conservative media.

SEARCH METHODOLOGY

Over the course of 15 months, beginning May 2006 through July 2007, I have monitored Hispanic print media for articles on immigration—both the stories that the mainstream media is not covering and unique ethnic media perspectives on larger stories. This monitoring consists of reading articles on the websites of an estimated 10 daily publications each day, 10 weekly newspapers each week, and another 10 publications through mail or email subscriptions. These stories are translated and summarized on the New America Media website.

In writing this report, I made a list of 175 stories that we monitored, translated, summarized or posted on immigration since May 2006. These came from 30 print media outlets: 20 Spanish-language, seven bilingual and three English-language publications. A list and brief description of the media outlets monitored is attached as Appendix  I.

CLASSIFICATION OF ARTICLES

The sample broke down as follows:

The articles were then sorted into 15 topical categories:

TOPIC SUMMARIES

A.  Hispanic Media as Civic Leaders

1. Community Activism
2. Civic Participation
3. Political Criticism
4. Know Your Rights

B.  Tracking the Anti-Immigrant Movement

1. Tracking Anti-Immigrant Bills
2. Raids, Detentions and Deportations
3. A Look at Anti-Reform Latinos
4. The Racism Connection
5. Anti-Immigrant Messages in Media
6. The Spanish-English Debate

C.  Tracking the Immigrant Rights Movement

1. Criticism of the Immigration Bill
2. Moral Argument/Role of Religion
3. Border Fence
4. Covering Protests

D.  Human Stories

A.  Hispanic Media as Civic Leaders

1.  Community Activism

The Spanish-language press has a long tradition of community involvement that goes beyond its editorial coverage. Hispanic media have historically played a leadership role  in its community, engaging in social activism and advocating on behalf of the rights of immigrants and Latinos. In the last year, the Spanish-language press was at the forefront of the immigration reform and immigrant rights movement.

Although this report focuses on Hispanic print media, the role of Hispanic radio and TV—which reach a larger audience than their print counterparts—cannot be underestimated.

• Hispanic media were key in mobilizing millions of people in the immigration marches in cities across the country. Spanish-language radio and newspapers called on immigrants and Latinos to take to the streets, wearing white T-shirts and waving American flags, to protest the Sensenbrenner bill in 2006 and to call for fair, comprehensive immigration reform and an end to the raids in 2007.
• Univision Radio’s syndicated morning DJ Eddie “El Piolín” Sotelo led a caravan to Washington, D.C., in June 2007, carrying one million signed letters from U.S. citizens calling for immigration reform.
• Spanish-language newspaper publisher ImpreMedia and broadcaster Univision partnered with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) in January in a citizenship campaign entitled “Ya es hora: Ciudadanía” (Citizenship: The time is now). The campaign began its second phase in July, urging Latinos to vote in the 2008 elections.
• Following the defeat of federal immigration reform, Spanish-language newspapers have helped their communities navigate an increasingly anti- immigrant climate.
• The bilingual Georgia newspaper Atlanta Latino published a July 4, 2007 pocket size guide to clearly explain Senate Bills 529 and 38, in order to prevent rumors and misinformation about the two new state laws that crack down on undocumented immigrants.
• The weekly Alabama newspaper Latino News started a community service campaign to give immigrants a more positive image in Alabama, from collecting trash along the river to visiting a senior citizens’ home.
• Spanish community weekly newspaper La Voz del Pueblo in Lilburn, Ga., organized a series of neighborhood meetings to educate the community and quell panic.

2.  Civic Participation

• In addition to citizenship and voter registration drives, the Spanish-language press encouraged political activism and civic participation through editorials and features on voting, citizenship, boycotts, immigration reform provisions, sanctuary cities, anti- immigrant ordinances and the first presidential debate to take place on Spanish-language television.
• A May 3, 2006 editorial in the Los Angeles newspaper La Opinión reminds its readers of the motto from the national immigration marches: “Hoy marchamos, mañana votamos!” (Today we march, tomorrow we vote.) “The marches were good, but nothing supplants the power of the vote,” editors write. “Only then are immigrants truly integrated and able to affect change in the most direct way possible.”
• An August 2006 commentary in the Milwaukee newspaper El Conquistador calls on Latinos who participated in the marches to change strategies, and focus on financially supporting and electing a candidate who supports a pathway for citizenship for millions of immigrants. The commentary calls for donations to the campaign of Democratic candidate Bryan Kennedy to replace Republican U.S. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner.
• A Nov. 6, 2006 report from the Dallas newspaper Al Día notes that immigrants across the country have a lot at stake in the Nov. 7 elections. “Latino voters have the same concerns as the rest of Americans: better education, health care,  and better opportunities for their families and communities,” Arturo Vargas, NALEO executive director, told Al Día, “Nevertheless, Latinos want their voices heard in this intense debate over immigration.”
• A November 2006 feature in San Diego’s Enlace newspaper interviews young Latinos who are voting for the first time because of immigration reform. “My mother cannot voice her opinion, but I can do it for her,” Sonia Salazar told Enlace. “And maybe I can help other families, too,” she added, reflecting the theme of Spanish-language ads that encourage those who can vote to do so for their families.
• A July 2007 editorial in Milkwaukee’s El Conquistador calls on immigrants to  use their remaining weapon—their economic power—to advocate for immigration reform by directing their purchases toward businesses that support immigration reform.
• An editorial in the July 9, 2007 edition of Atlanta Latino states that immigrants should understand the U.S. political system: Instead of marching, it says, what works in this country is voting, contributing to political campaigns, calling and writing representatives, and making it clear to anti-immigrant broadcasters that immigrants will boycott their products if they don’t stop promoting racist language.

3.  Political Criticism

Through editorials and news reports, the Spanish-language press criticized politicians and organizations that did not support immigrant rights and immigration reform, including Republicans and Democrats, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Bush, among others.

• A January 25, 2007 editorial in La Opinión notes that while President Bush was speaking to the country about the importance of immigration reform, among other topics, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained some 700 people in various raids in Southern California.
• A June 29, 2007 editorial in the Dallas Spanish-language El Diario La Estrella blames the failure of the immigration reform bill on “the stubbornness of a Republican majority.” “The undocumented will continue in the shadows… until those anti-immigrant legislators are replaced by others with a more humanist stance,” the editorial states.
• A June 29, 2007 editorial in La Opinión blames “nativist” Republicans and “the ignorant populism of radical radio commentators.” But they also point out that some Democrats voted against reform, including several who switched their votes in the last two days. La Opinión also points a finger at the AFL-CIO, saying  that, “in rejecting the guest worker program, the AFL-CIO neglected to give the benefit of the doubt to a project that could have helped millions of exploited workers.”

4.  Know Your Rights

Spanish-language newspapers informed their readers about their legal rights in accessing services and under new local ordinances that crackdown on undocumented immigrants,  as well as what to do in the case of immigration raids.

• A September 7, 2006 article in Chicago’s Spanish-language La Raza newspaper provides information about a new pamphlet to aid immigrants in accessing state services.
• A series of articles in Enlace in October 2006 clearly explains the provisions of the new rental law passed in Escondido. According to one article, “Latino leaders say their biggest worry is not the ordinance itself, but the lack of information about it, especially in Spanish,” which led to fear and  misinformation.
• An April 2007 report from the Washington, D.C., Spanish newspaper El Pregonero tells readers what to do in the case of a raid: if you are arrested; if you are undocumented; if the police come to your house; if immigration agents come to your work; and if you are stopped in the street.
• A June 27, 2007 article from Fresno’s bilingual newspaper Vida en el Valle provides information about a legal advice hotline for Mexican  immigrants.
• A July 30, 2007 article in La Opinión tells readers how to locate relatives who have been detained by ICE.

B.  Tracking the Anti-Immigrant Movement

1.  Tracking Anti-Immigrant Bills

Some 26 articles in the Spanish-language press focused on the growing number of anti- immigrant bills proposed in cities and states across the country. Most of these document the broader effects of these bills on all Latinos. Many point to the human effect of these ordinances, interviewing immigrants whose lives they affect, and showing that all Latinos—not just immigrants or undocumented immigrants—are impacted. Several articles also point out the economic impact as immigrants flee areas that have enacted such laws, such as Colorado and Farmers Branch, Tex.

• An October 19, 2006 article in La Opinión reports that Escondido was the first city in California to pass a measure prohibiting renting homes to  undocumented immigrants. According to one woman who spoke on condition of anonymity, all Latinos will be affected by this ordinance: even if they are legal, they may have a relative who is undocumented and that would be sufficient to be kicked out of their apartment, she said.
• A May 14, 2007 article in Al Día interviewed a man who was leaving Farmers Branch, Tex. after seven years, and held a garage sale hours after the measure passed in preparation for his family’s move. “The hostility against Hispanics in Farmers Branch became more apparent with the ordinance, but it’s been that way for a long time,” he told Al Día. “Even if they don’t enforce the law, the racism and scorn against Hispanics can only increase,” he said.
• A June 28, 2007 article in Georgia’s Spanish-language newspaper Mundo Hispánico reports that the new laws in Georgia will lead to greater racial profiling, increased fear among crime victims to seek help, and a negative impact on the state’s economy as immigrants leave the state.

2.  Raids, Detentions and Deportations

Eighteen articles from the Spanish-language press focused on immigration raids, detentions, or deportations. Several of these articles show the broader impact of raids on families, children, and the economy.

• A December 20, 2006 article from the San Antonio Spanish-language newspaper Rumbo, titled “The Raid that Changed Cactus, Texas,” reports on a town that lost 10 percent of its population due to immigration raids, and is still reeling from the loss. The article describes the case of one pregnant woman who hid in her home  for three days before coming out when she started having contractions. Volunteers at a local church brought her to safety. Her husband was one of the 295 persons arrested by ICE at the local Swift and Co. meatpacking plant. A spokesperson for the Church of St. Peter and Paul of Dumas told Rumbo Saturday that no representatives from Child Protective Services had shown up to look after the children of those deported.

Several articles document the fact that many of those who have been detained have no criminal record:

• A January 30, 2007 article in Al Día reports that a state program meant to stem drug and human trafficking is being used to deport immigrants after traffic stops. Of some 47 men, women and children held in a federal detention center in Dallas, 33 were victims of racial profiling after being pulled over by police for alleged traffic infractions according to the Mexican Consulate General.

The majority of articles about the detention of immigrants focuses on the poor, prison- like conditions of detention centers:

• A December 2006 article from Rumbo, titled “Bitter Christmas for Undocumented Children,” reports on minors who have to spend Christmas in a detention center in Nixon, Tex. Many of these young people came to the United States to escape violence and poverty, find a job, and often reunite with their families, Rumbo reports. But they often get depressed around the holidays because they believe  they have failed.
• A February 13, 2007 article in La Opinión reports that more than 200 children of undocumented immigrants are living in jail-like conditions as their parents await deportation proceedings. Facilities like the T. Don Hutto Detention Center look like prisons, La Opinión reports, with high, windowless walls and razor-wire fencing. Children wear prison jumpsuits while guards stand watch. The federal government hired the Corrections Corporation of America to run the facilities in April 2006.
• A March 22, 2007 article in Atlanta Latino reports that immigrant detainees at the Stewart Detention Center staged a hunger strike to protest mistreatment and inadequate diet. One detainee who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS told Atlanta Latino that it routinely takes two to four days to receive medical attention. Another man reported that no staff would help him when he had schizophrenic episodes.

3.  A Look at Anti-Reform Latinos

Three articles look at the anti-undocumented immigration movement through the eyes of Latinos who oppose immigration reform.

• A feature article by Dennis Romero in the February/March 2006 issue of Los Angeles magazine Tu Cuidad examines the untold stories of Latinos who support  a crackdown on illegal immigration.
• A May 2006 news report in Vida en el Valle interviews Latinos who are part of the anti-undocumented immigration group You Don’t Speak for  Me.
• A March 5, 2007 article in El Diario/La Prensa reports on The People’s Alliance for Latino Advancement, a Latino group in Kansas that met with the Kansas Minutemen Civil Defense Corp. to discuss strategies to combat illegal immigration in the United States. Bob Hernandez, director of the Hispanic group, said Mexico should not be excused because it keeps salaries low and only serves the rich. “We want the U.S. to stop pandering to Mexico and for Mexico to take care of its people,” he said.

4.  The Racism Connection

A recurring theme throughout a number of articles was the racism, xenophobia and bigotry behind anti-immigrant ordinances. This was reflected in reports on racial profiling, fears among whites of a growing Latino community, and numerous interviews with residents who called measures that crack down on undocumented immigrants racist.

In addition to these, eleven articles from the Spanish-language press made an explicit connection between anti-immigrant groups and racists.

• A July 2006 commentary in San Diego’s bilingual newspaper La Prensa San Diego is entitled “The Most Racist City in America – Hazleton,  PA.”
• An April 2, 2007 article in La Opinión reports that, according to the Alabama- based Southern Poverty Law Center, existing guest worker programs resemble “modern-day slavery.” Workers accrue debts to recruiters before they come to the country, do not earn promised wages, live in deficient housing and receive threats of deportation if they complain, according to the report.
• A May 11, 2007 editorial in El Diario La Estrella argues that the Farmers Branch, Tex. measure banning landlords from renting apartments to undocumented immigrants has done nothing but stir up anti-immigrant sentiments and xenophobia.
• In an exclusive report for El Diario/Prensa on July 27, 2007, Cristina Loboguerrero reports that the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups are gathering in a public meeting with anti-immigrant groups in Morristown, N.J. to support the mayor’s ordinance that would train the police to act as immigration agents.

5.  Anti-Immigrant Messages in Media

Only five articles show the role of the Spanish-language press as a watchdog of anti- immigrant messages in mainstream media, from Lou Dobbs to local radio shows. Several of these were written after the failure of immigration reform in the Senate.

• A March 15, 2007 editorial in El Diario/La Prensa protests as racist local radio show hosts the Jersey Guys, who called on their listeners to turn over suspected undocumented immigrants to authorities, in a campaign they called “Operation Rat-a-Rat/La Cuca-Gotcha.” “This type of public call for vigilantism is especially troubling in the context of the increasing hate-crime violence directed at  Hispanics in New Jersey over the past two years,” editors write. El Diario/La Prensa reports having documented more than a dozen cases in which someone  was attacked because they were Hispanic. “The Jersey Guys are not calling for  this violence,” editors add. “But to dehumanize someone is the first step  towards condoning violence against them.”
• An editorial in the May 3, 2007 edition of El Diario/La Prensa criticized CNN for posting a link on Lou Dobbs’ page on its website that directed visitors to an anti- immigrant group in Hazleton, P.A. “If CNN, a division of Time Warner, one of   the largest corporations in the world, wants to advocate measures that drive poor, undocumented families out of their homes, that’s the network’s editorial prerogative,” the editorial argues. “But helping to fundraise for these efforts steps over a line traditionally observed by news organizations. Shame on you, CNN. It  is bad practice and bad politics.” After receiving criticism by the National   Institute for Latino Policy, CNN agreed to take down the link.
• A June 29, 2007 article by Pilar Marrero in La Opinión reports that, in the end, the opinion of the majority of Americans didn’t matter. Other messages took on greater importance, she writes: the anti-immigrant rhetoric of a handful of Republicans and “the mistreatment of immigrants, day after day, on English- language radio programs, in the afternoons with Lou Dobbs on CNN and even in ‘moderate’ media.”

6.  The Spanish-English Debate

Four articles took on the debate over assimilation and bilingualism, responding to comments made by Newt Gingrich, Arnold Schwarzenegger and others, and defending the use of Spanish and challenge notions of assimilation.

• A comment by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, in which he compared Spanish-speakers to those who live in a “ghetto,” prompted a sharp outcry in the Spanish- language press.
• An April 6, 2007 commentary by Sergio Alférez in La Opinión, entitled “The Idiomatic Ghetto,” argues that knowledge of Spanish or any other language saves us from a greater, spiritual “ghetto.” “The person who can watch and understand the (English-language) news on Channel 7, but prefers that of (Spanish-language) Channels 34 or 52, has access to an amplitude of opinions and internal enrichment that is infinitely superior to that of someone who can only understand one language.” The “ghetto,” he adds, is where U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales lives, who, despite his clearly mestizo features, cannot communicate in Spanish with his peers in the Hispanic community.
• One week after Gingrich’s comments, Univision anchor Jorge Ramos wrote in his April 2007 syndicated column that the movement to make English the official language of the United States is “ridiculous.” “The United States is the only country I know where people are convinced that speaking only one language is better than speaking two or three.”

Calif. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comment at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ convention that Latinos should turn off their Spanish-language televisions and learn English also provoked strong reactions in the state’s Hispanic  press.

• A June 2007 editorial in La Opinión writes that the governor used the false argument that Latino immigrants don’t want to learn English. In fact, the editorial notes, there aren’t enough adult English classes to meet immigrants’ demand for them. The editorial also defended the importance of Spanish-language media: “The governor doesn’t know the United States’ long history with media that inform and help numerous immigrant groups in their language, groups that have gone on to enrich this nation.”
• One article takes these arguments a step further, examining the meaning of assimilation and challenging the notion that Latinos don’t assimilate.
• Hiram Soto of Enlace writes in July 2007 that anti-immigrant forces used a common argument: the perception that Latinos are too different to assimilate, do not learn English, and are unraveling the fabric of the identity of a nation that  was, ironically, created by immigrants. “Latinos are assimilating, but in their own way, keeping much of their identity,” he writes. “Tamales at Christmas. Turkey and menudo at Thanksgiving. English at work and Spanish at  home.”

C.  Tracking the Immigrant Rights Movement

1.  Perspectives on the Immigration Bill

Several articles presented critiques of the Senate’s immigration bill, reflecting the divisions among immigrant rights groups that came out on opposite sides of the bill.

• An editorial in the May 18, 2007 edition of El Diario/La Prensa argues that the Senate’s immigration bill does not make progress toward reform, but merely replaces one set of problems with another.
• However, despite their criticism of some if its provisions, the majority of articles in the Hispanic press supported passage of the bill, arguing that many of its flaws could have been addressed and improved in the legislation  process.
• Syndicated columnist and Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas wrote an open letter to the U.S. Senate in June 2007, calling for senators to move forward with immigration reform and advising them on how to navigate the debate without being “blinded by irrational anti-immigrant forces.”
• A June 8, 2007 editorial in La Opinión, entitled “Painful Failure in Congress,” notes that the immigration bill had many flaws, but the attraction of a path to legalization was an important reason to keep the bill alive. “It’s a sad day for millions of families who hoped to stop hiding, to be able to earn a decent salary,  to live without the fear of deportation and to be able to enter and leave the country. In short, to live a normal life,” the editorial concludes. “This is a painful failure because it doesn’t help anything, other than continuing with an unjust system that exploits the undocumented.”
• A June 11, 2007 editorial in El Diario/La Prensa argues that by winning this skirmish (and seemingly killing the immigration proposal), the Republicans have won a Pyrrhic victory by which they risk alienating a whole generation of Latinos—much like with Proposition 187 in California—and invigorating citizenship and voter registration efforts.

2.  Moral Argument/Role of Religion

Two articles touched on a moral argument for immigration reform, calling deportations inhumane and reporting on marchers carrying signs that said, “No human being is illegal.” Six other articles explored the role of religious organizations in advocating for immigrant rights, from Catholic churches to Latino evangelical leaders that spoke out against deportations and offered sanctuary to immigrants including Elvira Arellano in Chicago.

3.  Border Fence

Two other articles took aim at the border fence proposal, using cultural, environmental, pragmatic and economic arguments, and refuting the link between immigrants and terrorists.

• An October 2006 article in Rumbo reports that the proposed border wall would divide three Native American nations that live there, and thus have devastating cultural and environmental effects on the area.
• Univision anchor Jorge Ramos calls the border wall a “700-mile mistake” in his Oct. 4, 2006 syndicated column. Ramos uses three arguments: pragmatism, economics, and countering the terrorism/national security claim. It is a “supreme naivety” to think that a 700-mile wall would prevent a hungry young person from reaching the United States, he writes. The illegal immigration problem is economic; he writes: as long as there is unemployment in Mexico and jobs in the United States, they will come. “The American government is confronting the subject of illegal immigration as if it were a war, and it isn’t. Mexico is not at war with the United States; the immigrants who cross to the north are not al Qaeda.”

4.  Covering Protests

Of the 51 articles tracking the immigrant rights movement, 37 covered the national immigration protests.

• On May 1, 2006, La Opinión posted as its front page a short statement: “We, the workers in the Hispanic media are immigrants. We are the children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of immigrants. Our brothers and sisters are immigrants. To us, an America without immigrants is unimaginable: an empty page.” The statement appeared printed on a large white page, in Spanish and English. The same statement also ran in La Opinion’s sister newspaper, La Raza in  Chicago.

D.  Human Stories

The vast majority of articles from the Spanish-language press portrayed the human side of immigration, including interviews with people whose lives have been affected by immigration policy and anti-immigrant sentiments.

In addition to these, sixteen articles focused specifically on these human stories behind the raids, deportations, and immigration policies. Many of these centered on the experience of women, children, students, and families that were separated due to deportation.

• A May 17, 2006 article from El Diario/La Prensa reports on a group of Latina mothers whose children have been deported.
• In the November 2006 article “Love Unites Them, La Migra Separates Them,” San Jose Spanish-language newspaper El Observador reports on couples who have fallen in love and decided to marry, only to have one of the partners deported.
• A series of three articles from December 2006 in El Diario/La Prensa reports on the story of a young girl who was abused by coyotes and went missing for months.
• An April 2007 article from La Prensa San Diego tells the story of 16-year-old Leslie Muñoz whose parents were deported to Mexico. Now she takes care of her younger siblings while she balances bill paying, tax season, and mortgages with her honors classes.
• A May 28, 2007 article in Al Día reports that young undocumented college graduates can’t get jobs because of their immigration status. One young woman graduated last year from the University of North Texas with a 3.8 GPA and received 10 job offers for bilingual teaching positions. She could not accept any  of them because she is undocumented. Students like Janet would have a chance to become legal residents under the proposed Dream Act, Al Día  reports.

ANALYSIS

Immigration coverage in the Spanish-language press reflected the unique needs of its audiences. The mainstream media frame of the “immigrant striver,” for example, was largely absent from Spanish-language articles—not because they were any less aware of these stories, but because they did not need to convince their own audiences of a positive image of the hardworking immigrant.

Spanish-language coverage of immigration issues responded to the unique needs of Latinos and immigrants, from informing them of their legal rights under new anti- immigrant bills to mobilizing people to march in immigration  rallies.

1. Hispanic media played a leadership role in mobilizing Latinos and advocating for their communities.

The Spanish-language press was at the forefront of the immigration reform and   immigrant rights movement, mobilizing millions of people to take to the streets in  national immigration marches, urging immigrants to become citizens and register to vote, advocating on behalf of immigrants and informing people of their legal  rights.

2.  Hispanic press coverage focused on the human stories.

One of the ways Spanish-language print media framed the immigration debate was by showing the human side of immigration. Articles on raids, deportations, and immigration policy often included interviews with immigrants—both legal and undocumented—  whose lives have been affected by them. Several feature articles focused entirely on these human stories. Interestingly, many of these centered on the experience of women, children, students and families.

3. The Hispanic press made a connection between anti-immigrant messages and racism.

Another recurring theme throughout a number of articles was the racism behind anti- immigrant ordinances. Some articles made an explicit link between anti-immigrant groups and racists. Many included interviews with residents who called the measures racist, or reported on incidents of racial profiling and other forms of discrimination surrounding immigration laws.

4. The Hispanic press failed to respond in a clear, unified manner to the attacks on immigrants from conservative media.

Despite the fact that they linked the anti-immigrant movement to racism, articles in Spanish-language newspapers did not present a clear, unified response to what they deemed racist messages.

“We Must Respond to the Lies” – An editorial in the July 27, 2007 edition of La Opinión presents a critical self-analysis of Spanish-language press coverage of immigration. “The defeat of the comprehensive and humane changes to immigration laws was the triumph of  a deafening slander that never met much resistance,” editors write. “The marches were impressive; the collection of signatures demonstrated that getting out the vote is crucial  for the future. However, there was no response to the hysterical lies promoted by conservative hosts on talk radio. The repeated lies—from comparing the law to an amnesty, to blaming undocumented immigrants for all the ills of society—were not challenged at the same level, and they convinced thousands to pressure their senators to reject reform. The lesson is that we must respond to these talk shows, unite in an effort to confront them concretely and not allow this to happen again.”

Hispanic media presented largely reactive coverage of immigration policy, showing how people were affected by the raids and deportations. They did not frame the debate in cultural terms, as did opponents of immigration reform.

Speaking at the National Council of La Raza’s 2007 conference in Miami, NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía said, “We thought we were having a debate on immigration policy. But it was really a debate about who decides what it means to be an American.” While Latinos have been trying hard to be civil and fair, she said, “some of our opponents have taken a different tack,” using hatred and bigotry. “Take this statement, quoted in the Washington Post: ‘Man, I didn’t realize how many Mexicans there were here. If we don’t get control over this, pretty soon all of America will be outnumbered.’ That doesn’t sound like a policy debate to me. That sounds like fear, ignorance, bigotry, and hate.”

The Hispanic press did not, for the most part, reframe the debate as an inter-ethnic issue or focus on the ways immigration policies affect all ethnic groups.

Spanish-language coverage made the immigration issue broader than just about the undocumented—showing how it would affect all Latinos—but largely failed to widen the lens to include the struggles of other ethnicities, including the black civil rights  movement.

There are, however, several notable exceptions to this:

• A series on black-brown tensions in Los Angeles by Pilar Marrero in the April 16- 18, 2006 editions of La Opinión compared the struggles of blacks and  Latinos.
• Spanish-language coverage of the national immigration rallies included the diversity of marchers, including African Americans, Asians and other non- Latinos.
• “Time for Another March on Washington” – An op-ed in the May 10, 2006 edition of El Diario/La Prensa calls on immigrants to lead a march in Washington for dignity, in the same spirit as the 1963 march led Martin Luther King, Jr. “Latinos, Chinese, Poles, Indians, African Americans, we are workers and we are brothers,” writes Machuca. “We are fighting together against  discrimination.”

Only a handful of articles addressed the economic contributions of immigrants, countering arguments made by anti-immigrant groups that immigrants take the jobs of Americans or cost the state money in education, health and social  services.

One of the few articles to address the economics of immigration was a May 6, 2007 article in La Prensa San Diego that reported that undocumented graduates could fill the shoes of retiring baby boomers.

The Hispanic press did not clearly convey the importance of immigration reform to the broader American public. This is, in part, because articles were directed at an audience that already supported immigration reform and, because most were in Spanish, were not accessible to the English-speaking public.

“Accepting Blame for Immigration Reform Failure” – A July 25, 2007 article in La Opinión reports on the mistakes made by groups that supported comprehensive immigration reform. According to Nilda Pedroza, spokesperson for Florida Republican Senator Mel Martínez, “We haven’t done a good job explaining to the rest of the country why immigration reform is important for them too.”

Recommendations for Advocates Working with the Hispanic Press

1.  Reframe the debate.

Advocates must work with media, advocacy groups and strategists to develop a clear, unified message to respond to the attacks on immigrants from conservative media. In the immigration debate, advocates of reform must not only respond but must reframe the debate.

2.  Present a unified front.

Advocates must work with media to develop a central message. One of the reasons many Democratic Senators voted against immigration reform in 2007 was the perception that Latino organizations were not united in their support for comprehensive immigration reform.

3.  Integrate and participate.

Advocates must work with media to continue to support voter mobilization efforts and Latino participation in American civic, social and economic life.

4.  Widen the lens.

To pass immigration reform, its supporters must win over the larger American public. Advocates must work with media to reframe the debate as inter-ethnic, showing the rest of the country that immigration reform is not just about Latinos, but affects everyone.

5.  Make the economic argument.

The future of the U.S. economy depends on immigrants, and this economic argument has been largely absent from the national immigration debate. Advocates must work with media to show that immigration reform is not only a question of justice; it is also a question of economics. Its repercussions extend to all sectors of our country and our economy. Hispanic pollster Sergio Bendixen has been a key advocate of this  economic argument, predicting that migrants will become the most important “commodity” of the 21st Century.

APPENDIX I

Al Día (Dallas) – Spanish-language daily sister paper of the Dallas Morning News Atlanta Latino (Norcross, Ga.) – Bilingual weekly Georgia  newspaper

Diario La Estrella (Fort Worth) – Spanish-language weekly sister paper of Star-Telegram Eastern Group Publications (Los Angeles) – Bilingual weekly independent  chain

EFE (nationally syndicated) – Spanish-language news service based in  Spain

El Conquistador (Milwaukee) – Spanish-language weekly community  newspaper

El Diario/La Prensa (New York) – Spanish-language daily newspaper (ImpreMedia)  El Mensajero (San Francisco) –Spanish-language weekly newspaper (ImpreMedia)   El Nuevo Herald (Miami) – Spanish-language daily sister paper of The Miami Herald El Observador (San Jose) – Bilingual weekly independent  newspaper

El Pregonero (Washington, D.C.) – Spanish-language weekly community newspaper El Sentinel (Orlando) – Spanish-language weekly sister paper of Florida Sun Sentinel El Tecolote (San Francisco) – Bilingual biweekly community  newspaper

El Tiempo Latino (Arlington, Va.) –The Washington Post’s Spanish-language weekly Enlace (San Diego) – Bilingual weekly sister paper of San Diego Union-Tribune Hispanic Business (Santa Barbara) – English-language national monthly magazine Hispanic Link (Washington, D.C.) – English-language national  newsweekly

Hoy (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles) – Spanish-language daily (Tribune,ImpreMedia) La Opinión (Los Angeles) – Spanish-language daily newspaper  (ImpreMedia)

La Prensa (Riverside) – Spanish-language weekly newspaper (The Press-Enterprise Co.) La Prensa (South Florida) – Spanish-language weekly newspaper  (ImpreMedia)

La Prensa San Diego (San Diego) – Bilingual weekly community newspaper La Raza (Chicago) – Spanish-language weekly newspaper  (ImpreMedia)

La Voz del Pueblo (Lilburn, Ga.) – Spanish-language weekly community newspaper Latino News (Gadsden, Ala.) – Spanish-language weekly community newspaper  Rumbo (San Antonio) – Spanish-language Texas newspaper chain (Meximerica Media) Tu Ciudad (Los Angeles) – English-language magazine

Univision Online (nationally syndicated) – Columns printed in Spanish-language papers Vida en el Valle (Fresno) – Bilingual weekly sister paper of the Fresno  Bee

Washington Hispanic (Washington, D.C.) – Spanish-language weekly  newspaper

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