The Trump Administration’s announcement of massive deportations threw the nation´s liberal Spanish-speaking media into a panic last week. Wide-eyed newscasters provided all sorts of advice on how to react to the raids and evade law enforcement.
Watch below as Univision anchor Ilia Calderón warned viewers about the horrors faced by undocumented immigrants being persecuted by ICE for ignoring final deportations orders, and how two mobile apps might help them “in their fight against immigration raids”:
Social media networks and at least two mobile apps have become big allies of undocumented immigrants in their fight against immigration raids. With those tools, the migrants can discover what danger zones to avoid, and can also contact family members and attorneys if they become involved in the raids, and even film the arrests.
Calderón´s story excluded any balanced reporting or point of view from immigration officials or others concerned with the nation´s border security. Furthermore, the story failed to explain the reasons behind President Trump’ś instructions to ICE with regard to the detention of at least 2,000 unauthorized immigrants whose deportations had already been ordered – and ignored.
Instead, correspondent Francisco Cobos turned to frequent collaborator Martha Sánchez, Community Organizing Coordinator at the leftist LUPE Organization, to “inform” viewers on what to do during “times of stalking” -as if being in the country illegally were a right- and to promote the mobile phone apps that convert smart phones into “shields” to protect undocumented workers from ICE. Of course, not a word about legal immigrants having NOTHING to fear.
According to the report, “´MigraCam´, developed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, is among the most frequently used applications by migrants who feel at risk of being arrested”. On the other hand, Notifica (Notify), promoted by the United We Dream organization, allows users to add contacts that will receive an alert message if arrested by immigration, by just pressing a button...quite the “weapons” to keep lawbreakers from their due day in court.
Below is a complete transcript for the above mentioned report as it aired on Noticiero Univision, on July 15, 2019.
Univision's Noticiero Univision
July 15, 2019
ILIA CALDERÓN, ANCHOR, UNIVISIÓN: Social media networks and at least two mobile apps have become big allies of undocumented immigrants in their fight against immigration raids. With those tools, the migrants can what the danger zones to avoid, and can also contact family members and attorneys if they become involved in the raids, and even film the arrests. Francisco Cobos has the details.
FRANCISCO COBOS, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISIÓN: Despite being fearful of the massive raids, José Antonio was of the few migrants who showed up to work as a day laborer, at this street in downtown McAllen, Texas. He did not go unarmed; he stated that he watched the news on television before leaving (his house), and he also searched the social networks in order to track ICE’s movements in his city.
JOSÉ ANTONIO, MIGRANT WORKER: I went to Facebook, to Whatsapp and to YouTube, they’re on all of those.
COBOS: He is part of the thousands of migrants that have been watching their cell phones since last weekend, as their main weapon for information on the raids. Basically, his cell phone has been the shield that protects him.
MARTHA SÁNCHEZ, ACTIVIST, THE LUPE ORGANIZATION: And (people must) always have their ears on alert and with eyes wide open, and remain connected to organizations that will provide help in times of stalking.
COBOS: But there are two available mobile phones app that have become popular, through which you can send an alert to family members, lawyers or civil rights organizations, in the event of an arrest or a search warrant. ´Migra cam´, developed by the American Civil Liberties Union in Texas, is among the most frequently used applications by migrants who feel that they are at risk of being arrested. This application can record video in the event of an arrest, and also allows you to request assistance via text message. Through this application that works like a panic button, video of the interaction with authorities is sent to at least three contacts that have been chosen beforehand. With the video as evidence, contacts are alerted about the arrest, and aid organizations are immediately activated.
SANCHEZ: We always tell people they should always have that person to be immediately notified when they are detained. That is useful, and gives the person the courage to choose someone.
FRANCISCO: Notifica is another application promoted by the United We Dream organization where, in a similar fashion, one can add several contacts to be notified in the event of an arrest by immigration authorities by just pressing a button. The activists stated that the apps are available online at no cost, or at any of the available app stores. In McAllen Texas, Francisco Cobos, Univisión.
