Over the weekend, news broke that some 17 Americans, including children, taking part in a Christian mission building an orphanage in Haiti were kidnapped by a gang. But never letting a good crisis go to waste, ABC’s Good Morning America on Sunday used it as an opportunity to push for open borders with White House correspondent MaryAlice Parks arguing the situation meant President Biden couldn’t turn away illegal immigrants.
“The assassination of the president, the earthquake, the economic ruin following the pandemic, and now Americans caught right in the middle of this. It only further complicates U.S. policy in that country as well,” co-anchor White Johnson said, noting the string of woe Haiti was experiencing.
Parks responded by seemingly lamenting that U.S. officials didn’t heed the pleas of some Haitian officials to send troops there “to help stabilize the situation.” “Obviously, that didn’t happen but we know the U.S. has, from time to time after the assassination, after the earthquake sent teams of officials there to the ground. You can imagine this makes their work so much harder,” she said.
She then pivoted to trying to exploit the situation. “And it could also politically, Whit, make it harder for the U.S. to turn away any Haitian migrants that arrive at the southern border. So many of them have been making an argument that it is just not safe on the ground in Haiti,” she argued.
Johnson seemed to agree, suggesting, “[T]he fact that American lives are at risk, too, really a game-changer in all of this.”
What Johnson and Parks refused to mention was the fact the Haitians that had amassed at the border last month, and the roughly 60,000 still on the way, were coming from South American and Central American countries (mostly Chile). In fact, many of them had citizenship in those countries. That’s not to mention that Biden had released most of the first wave into the United States.
The administration seemed to be wetting the bed on yet another foreign hostage crisis (Americans were still trapped in Afghanistan), but Parks did her part to spin their statements:
JOHNSON: So much at stake here, I would imagine the Biden administration following this very closely.
PARKS: Yeah, you can imagine this is just a nightmare situation, so delicate. We don't have a new comment from the White House yet. The national security team instead directing us to a very brief comment from the State Department overnight. They just said that “The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of their highest priorities.” They are aware of the reports. But like you said, you can imagine the White House is turning all their attention on something like this.
Anyone can “imagine” something working out but that doesn’t mean it's happening. It’s just the latest example of ABC demonstrating its high standards for journalism.
ABC's exploitation of a kidnapping to push for open borders was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from WeatherTech and Stanley Steemer. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
October 17, 2021
8:04:01 a.m. EasternWHIT JOHNSON: For more on this kidnapping in Haiti, let's bring in our White House correspondent MaryAlice Parks. MaryAlice, it’s great to have you in the studio. We do appreciate it. So much at stake here, I would imagine the Biden administration following this very closely.
MARYALICE PARKS: Yeah, you can imagine this is just a nightmare situation, so delicate. We don't have a new comment from the White House yet. The national security team instead directing us to a very brief comment from the State Department overnight. They just said that, “The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of their highest priorities.” They are aware of the reports. But like you said, you can imagine the White House is turning all their attention on something like this.
JOHNSON: And as Phil laid out there, it’s just been one crisis after another. The assassination of the president, the earthquake, the economic ruin following the pandemic, and now Americans caught right in the middle of this. It only further complicates U.S. policy in that country as well.
PARKS: Absolutely. Following the assassination of the Haitian president in July, some Haitians called for U.S. troops to come there to the country to help stabilize the situation. Obviously, that didn’t happen but we know the U.S. has, from time to time after the assassination, after the earthquake sent teams of officials there to the ground. You can imagine this makes their work so much harder.
And it could also politically, Whit, make it harder for the U.S. to turn away any Haitian migrants that arrive at the southern border. So many of them have been making an argument that it is just not safe on the ground in Haiti.
JOHNSON: And the fact that American lives are at risk, too, really a game-changer in all of this. MaryAlice than you so much. We appreciate it.
