Thread: CNN host stirs pot on migration in S.A. visit

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CNN host stirs pot on migration in S.A. visit

Web Posted: 10/26/2006 12:03 AM CDT

Hernán Rozemberg
Express-News Immigration Writer

Proving San Antonio is no monolith on the divisive issue of illegal immigration, CNN host Lou Dobbs got a fair share of applause and heckling Wednesday night when he led a live "town hall meeting" on one of the major issues in the upcoming election.
But it wasn't always easy to discern the dialogue amid the war of words.

Dobbs, 61, a veteran 30-year journalist nationally recognized for his past reporting on business issues, dramatically changed focus after the 9-11 attacks, leading him to become a quasi-deified symbol for the national anti-illegal-immigration movement.

His shift from stocks and bonds to immigration and the border has been dramatic and relentless, with his nightly "Broken Borders" segment repeatedly pointing out what he sees as the negative impact undocumented immigrants have on the U.S. economy and society.

The San Antonio gathering was no different. Dobbs, born in the Texas Panhandle, said his choice of the Alamo City for the discussion was no coincidence.

"San Antonio is a city at the center of our illegal immigration crisis," he said, telling his national audience of more than 600,000 that, at less than three hours from the Mexico border, "the city's booming economy is a huge magnet, of course, for illegal immigration."

Only those with invitations to the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre witnessed the hourlong session up close. The crowd included guests from out of town and representatives from local political, civic and educational groups.

Panelists represented a mix of voices advocating for immigrant rights and those lobbying for restricting immigration.

Nearly the first half of the show was eerily quiet as Dobbs, a self-described "advocacy journalist," bantered with like-minded folks calling for a stronger governmental crackdown of border security, such as U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, author of a recent report exposing the border's lingering vulnerabilities to terrorist intrusion.

The expected sparks and barbs came soon after Dobbs introduced Rosa Rosales, the San Antonio-based president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and John Trasviña, interim president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Typically having no hesitation in cutting off guests on his show, Dobbs found in Rosales a forceful adversary.

Most of the heated exchanges centered on Dobbs' fiery and determinate use of language, leaving the substance of the discussion mostly on the side.

"Objectivity is a trap that I have no interest in," Dobbs said before the show. "I think of neutrality ... as something I certainly could not achieve."

Dobbs persistently uses phrases such as "illegal aliens" — the original government designation — and talks of an "invasion" across the border. Use of any other terms would be pandering to special-interest groups that thrive on political correctness, Dobbs said.

Hence it was no surprise that Rosales chastised Dobbs for his linguistic choices.

"They're not from outer space. They're human beings. Call them undocumented," Rosales snapped.

Unfazed by the sudden applause for Rosales, Dobbs proved quick at the trigger himself.

He met her demand for "documentation" proving his assertion that illegal immigration hurts the U.S. middle class with: "I thought we didn't need documentation, Rosa. Now you want documentation?"

He later turned the microphone to a Pennsylvania mayor who led a successful push for an ordinance levying fines up to $1,000 on landlords who provide housing for undocumented immigrants and to employers who give them work.

"Illegal immigration is destroying small-town America," said Lou Barletta, mayor of Hazleton, Pa. "We are buckling under the strain of the costs."

Activist David Ramos, invited as a member of the Texas Toll Party, also sided with Dobbs on the economic impact of illegal immigration.

He said his wife recently had a $40,000 hospital procedure that he thinks was jacked up by the hit local hospitals take from treating uninsured migrants.

Others were disappointed at how Dobbs structured the program, calling it a prefabricated session that didn't give viewers a true taste of San Antonio.

Yesenia Monsour of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce cornered Dobbs after the show and hammered him for not calling on local employers whose livelihood long has been juxtaposed with immigration.

"He invited the town to a forum, yet he didn't let the town speak," she said.

Daniel Reyes, a teacher in the San Antonio Independent School District, said he regretted that the discussion focused on rhetoric and failed to expose solutions to the dilemma.

On that point, Dobbs agreed.

"It's only a beginning," he said after the show as his assistants shuffled him into an elevator.

He met her demand for "documentation" proving his assertion that illegal immigration hurts the U.S. middle class with: "I thought we didn't need documentation, Rosa. Now you want documentation?"

ROFLMAO Wish I had thought of that one.

Dixie

His shift from stocks and bonds to immigration and the border has been dramatic and relentless, with his nightly "Broken Borders" segment repeatedly pointing out what he sees as the negative impact undocumented immigrants have on the U.S. economy and society.

While I can't speak for Mr. Dobbs, it is common knowledge that he came from a VERY poor, albiet close, family. He MADE it, and I think his motivation for switching his focus from high finance to championing the middle class is absolutely sincere.

CNN host stirs pot on migration in S.A. visit

It is not "migration", it is illegal immigration.

Originally Posted by Dixie

He met her demand for "documentation" proving his assertion that illegal immigration hurts the U.S. middle class with: "I thought we didn't need documentation, Rosa. Now you want documentation?"

ROFLMAO Wish I had thought of that one.

Dixie

Did u see it? It was pretty funny. First thing I thought though was that William should have been on the panel.