Comedy Central sent Michael Kosta to Eagle Pass, Texas, to report on the border crisis for the Friday installment of The Daily Show, but according to him, the real crisis is about the reaction to the crisis as Texas is “attracting a flood of Republican governors, Congressional delegations, and even billionaire weirdos.”
Kosta began with a narration where he declared, “Eagle Pass, Texas, has become the epicenter of the national immigration debate, as over the last year, an unprecedented number of migrants crossed here to apply for asylum. And for many observers, this complex issue can only be summed up in one word.”
After playing five soundbites from an assortment of Republican politicians using the word “invasion” or “invaded,” Kosta interviewed the locals to see what they had to say. One man claimed, “They’ve come and taken over the town.”
Another woman, who would later be revealed to be a farmer named Magali Urbina, added, “It’s our land and there’s just people coming in.” A second man, later identified as river outfitter Jessie Fuentes, echoed the sentiment, “They’re causing, you know, havoc and craziness.”
Seemingly scolding another woman, Kosta wondered, “Shouldn't you be welcoming? Don't you have any empathy for the journey they have taken to get here?”
“They’re not welcome, get the hell out of our place,” she replied.
The first man then returned to add, “You can't move around without seeing them. You can't get a meal in a restaurant. Can't get a hotel room unless you want to pay $400.”
Kosta then dropped the act, “Wait, who are you talking about, right now?” to which the man replied, “The state Guard from Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho.”
The woman who told people to “get the hell out” was then revealed to be Maverick County Democratic Chairwoman Juanita Martinez who claimed, “The invasion here is from Governor Abbott and the Trumpers and the MAGA people.”
If there wasn’t a border crisis in the first place, Republicans wouldn’t be there in the second place, but that is not how Kosta saw it “Yes, Eagle Pass has been overrun since Governor Abbott declared a crisis at the border and sent in the Texas National Guard, attracting a flood of Republican governors, Congressional delegations, and even billionaire weirdos.”
The “billionaire weirdo” in question was Elon Musk in a cowboy hat. That aside, the entire point of Kosta’s segment was try to portray the border crisis as complicated, as evidenced by some people in Eagle Pass not wanting the GOP’s “help.” However, when it came to giving the other perspective, Kosta featured the most cartoonish voices he could find, including a guy with a Confederate battle flag, in order to portray those concerned about the original crisis as racists.
Here is a transcript for the March 7 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
3/7/2024
11:13 PM ET
MICHAEL KOSTA: Eagle Pass, Texas, has become the epicenter of the national immigration debate, as over the last year, an unprecedented number of migrants crossed here to apply for asylum. And for many observers, this complex issue can only be summed up in one word.
GREG GIANFORTE: Invasion.
TED CRUZ: We are being invaded.
MARCO RUBIO: We are being invaded.
KARI LAKE: We’re being invaded.
DONALD TRUMP: We’re being invaded just like it's a military invasion.
KOSTA: But how are the locals coping with its relentless onslaught?
MAN 1: They’ve come and taken over the town.
MAGALI URBINA: It’s our land and there’s just people coming in.
JESSIE FUENTES: They’re causing, you know, havoc and craziness.
WOMAN 1: There’s chaos.
KOSTA: Shouldn't you be welcoming? Don't you have any empathy for the journey they have taken to get here?
JUANITA MARTINEZ: They’re not welcome, get the hell out of our place.
MAN 1: You can't move around without seeing them. You can't get a meal in a restaurant. Can't get a hotel room unless you want to pay $400.
KOSTA: Wait, who are you talking about, right now?
MAN 1: The state Guard from Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho.
KOSTA: Oh.
MAN 3: What you need to be afraid of ours some of these convoys of people –
KOSTA: You’re talking about Central American caravans?
MAN 3: No, no we are talking about the that are invading the country here, not from Mexico.
JUANITA MARTINEZ: The invasion here is from Governor Abbott and the Trumpers and the MAGA people.
KOSTA: Yes, Eagle Pass has been overrun since Governor Abbott declared a crisis at the border and sent in the Texas National Guard, attracting a flood of Republican governors, Congressional delegations, and even billionaire weirdos.
