The media faced much backlash following the election of Donald Trump by those who said that the free publicity he received for the incendiary statements and massive lies he told that made news organizations a lot of money.
Today, MSNBC showed how it should have been done and should continue to be done while Trump is in office.
We have to maintain strong borders or we will no longer have a country that we can be proud of – and if we show any weakness, millions of people will journey into our country.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2018
On Friday, Trump held an event to highlight incidences of violence committed by undocumented immigrants to justify his cruel policies as he faces backlash for the separation of migrant children from their families. The purpose of the event was the paint immigrants as violent criminals deserving of horrible treatment which somehow also justifies the cruelty shown to their children. As he ranted and raved about MS-13 and violence committed by undocumented immigrants, MSNBC cut away for a fact check.
‘The U.S. Customs and border protections own statistics show that simply is not true. Let’s look at the real numbers. There were a total of 415,191 apprehensions fiscal year 2017. They were 8,531 criminal aliens arrested. Of those three — three, were convicted of homicide or man more than 4,000 were convicted for illegal entry or reentry. Mostly, that’s a misdemeanor.’
Experts say Trump's rhetoric overstates the threat posed by immigrants, who tend to commit crime at lower rates than people who are born in the United States. https://t.co/yr4beU1rGE
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) June 22, 2018
The reporter continued by pointing out a flaw in the term “criminal aliens.”
‘The CBP defines criminal aliens as aliens who have been convicted of one or more crimes, whether in the U.S. or abroad, prior to interdiction by the U.S. Border patrol and does not include convictions for conduct that is not deemed criminal by the United States.
‘ There is more. Four academic studies also show that Trump’s rhetoric suggesting that undocumented immigrants are more likely to break the law is flat out wrong. A criminologist at the University of Wisconsin Madison said increased undocumented immigration since 1990 has not increased violent crime over that same period. A 2015 study in Texas specifically found, quote, the homicide conviction rate for illegal immigrants was 25% below that of native-born Americans in the state. For sexual assault, 11.5% below that. And for larceny, 79% below people born in this country.’
Trump’s lies and attempts to demonize immigrants despite the facts don’t end there. He also pressed an issue that he has latched onto to pointed out as unfair and dangerous to American citizens around the policy of “catch and release.” He seems to believe (or wants his rabid fanbase to believe) that this means that when an undocumented immigrant is arrested for a crime, no matter how heinous or violent, they are then released back into society. This is untrue.
President Trump has frequently pointed to sympathetic crime victims to justify his get-tough policies at the southern border. But experts say the president's rhetoric overstates the threat posed by immigrants. https://t.co/aPyZGa8kmd
— NPR (@NPR) June 22, 2018
As Vox explains:
‘The laws and policies that Trump and his officials refer to as “catch and release” are actually legal protections for specific vulnerable populations — groups like children, families, and people who claim they’re in deadly peril if they’re sent home — that Congress and the courts have decided need to be treated with extra care.’
The policy of “catch and release” has absolutely nothing to do with the arrests of violent criminal undocumented immigrants. Trump won’t quit pushing the idea, though. Fear feeds his voters and drives them to feel unsafe, so they see their president as keeping them safer.
Fact check: The Trump administration cannot keep their own story straight about the abhorrent practice of separating families at the border. Here is the truth about what's happening. pic.twitter.com/psEFi7RbL5
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) June 20, 2018
Meanwhile, the cruel treatment of those immigrants who have committed no more than a misdemeanor is justified.
See full video of the fact-check segment from MSNBC below:
Featured image screengrab via YouTube
