Seeing the Round Corners

July 16, 2018

THE MEDIA’S TRUMP VS. OBAMA

Perhaps such a column lead is a strange one, but not really if you just read on.  Some very staggering ideas are at play in this time of advanced technology:

• journalists have never existed in numbers as they exist today;
• until President Trump was elected, journalists have never been as biased in coverage of a president, nor had the audacity to criticize a president in the tone that the journalist knows more is more expert than the President in office; and
• until President Obama, journalist had never covered “the first Black President,” and never given such a pass on numerous issues as was shown to President Obama.

   Leave no doubt, Hillary Clinton (with infamous Bill in tow) would have been one of this country’s worst presidents in modern history, in this writer’s opinion.

Today’s column on “President vs. President” will target one issue, with all else left to another day and future columns. For weeks now, the “zero tolerance” of the immigration issue has dominated the daily news as though it was a slow news day (week, month??). Intelligent readers have probably wondered, is there nothing else going on in the world? There is other worthwhile news, but that would most likely mean less chance to bash and criticize President Trump.

With the mid-term elections fast approaching, Democrats are beyond desperate to use the issue to win Congressional seats. The most egregious failure of the media is its failure to disclose former President Obama’s action in dealing with the issue of separating families at the border. The American media would have America and the world believe what has been happening at the border is all the responsibility of President Trump which is just not true.

The belief is widespread in this country that Obama went easy on immigrants. Even though numerous actions taken by Obama, which at the time led to an outcry of fear and distrust, the media ignored them, never hammering him as it has on President Trump.

The Department of Homeland Security has long made the case that President Trump is being blamed for policies and conditions that predated President Trump’s presidency. The media fails in its comparison of Obama and Trump to disclose the policies of Obama; as examples:

• Obama prosecuted mothers who crossed the border illegally;
• Obama fast-tracked deportations;
• Obama erected tent cities to house unaccompanied children;
• Obama fought efforts to require unaccompanied children to have legal representation;
• Obama barred detained mothers with their children from being released on bond;
• Obama resurrected the almost-abandoned practice of detaining mothers and children to deter future illegal immigration, but this policy was stopped because of closing of some detention facilities and otherwise lack of such facilities;  and
• Obama fought to block efforts to require unaccompanied children to have legal representation and barring detained mothers with their children from being released on bond.

   How many readers are aware of any of the above-listed policies of the Obama Administration? Yet, Michelle Obama was front and center when all the Democratic women of any noteworthiness were polled to voice their opinions on President Trump’s “on-going cruel, heartless” actions. How quickly Mrs. Obama forgot the cruelty and harshness of her husband’s administration!!

There is one critical policy in effect by the Trump administration ignored by the rabid coverage of today’s media. Current law prohibits the federal government from keeping children detained even with their parents in immigration detention for more than 20 days.

In place is the Flores court settlement that controls what takes place if a parent does not wish the child to be released from them (a more than 20-year old case). The legitimacy of an asylum claim must be determined and takes time. The advantages to remaining in detention is that the family remains united, but “detention cases move faster and a quicker resolution is likely.”

Although President Trump’s executive order of June 20th was to keep families detained and intact through their court proceedings, President Obama tried to get the Flores settlement modified but lost that attempt.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, parents and children can already be detained together, but parents need to understand and be informed of that regulation. A lawyer in the Flores agreement said, “Neither the language nor the intention of anything in the Flores agreement precludes a parent from retaining decision-making power over their children.”

Reams can be written on this subject but the point of this column is to get the reader to be objective on the issue and the underlying bias of the media. What is being portrayed as cruelty and heartless policies instigated by President Trump has been in place for decades.

Cases for asylum must be investigated. When asked to comment, the director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, Jessica Vaughan, disputes the impression created by today’s media of children being detained with their parents:  “. . . We cannot detain you together unless its something you’re okay with. And you’re going to have to decide whether this something that is important to you.”

The reader's comments or questions are always welcome. E-mail me at doris@dorisbeaver.com.