NewsBusters.org ^ | February 12, 2017 | Jorge Bonilla
Immigration grievance is going to be a large component of Univision's news programming going forward, as we see on the edition of Al Punto that aired last January 29th. Host Jorge Ramos and Trump Hispanic Advisory Panel member José Fuentes Agostini, who is also the former Attorney General of Puerto Rico, went back and forth over Trump, the promised wall, and immigration policy overall.
Here are two key exchanges that pretty much sum up the entire segment. In the first segment, Ramos rails against the futility of the wall itself, deeming it to be 'useless'. Fuentes countered by noting that Senators Obama, Clinton, and Biden ALL voted for the Secure Border Act of 2006, which calls for fencing as well as other means of securing the border.
JORGE RAMOS, HOST, AL PUNTO: So why build a useless wall? If Trump is so intelligent and such a good businessman like he says he is, why build something that isn’t going to work?
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well look Jorge, we differ on whether it is going to work or not. You would note that Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden - the three of them – in 2006 voted to build that wall. So it is very hypocritical of them to now say the wall should not be built. The people obviously understand that the wall will work. You would note that Mexico, Mexico, is doing the same thing in Guatemala. They are not building a physical wall, but they certainly have a barrier that they have built.
Fuentes dispenses with much of the hypocrisy surrounding the immigration debate by pointing out both the Democrat votes for the current border law, and Mexico's efforts along its own southern border. Furthermore, we are reminded that Ramos opposes ANY serious effort to curb illegal immigration. Recall that back in December, Ramos came out against deportation of aliens with a record of criminal offenses.
The second clip shows Ramos and Fuentes relitigating Trump's announcement speech- the basis for much of Ramos' grievance-mongering:
JORGE RAMOS, HOST, AL PUNTO: But most immigrants in this country, and you are well aware of it, are not criminals nor rapists, as many have wanted to portray. I want to raise another point with you. The policy…
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: And that is how Mr. Trump has said it. And that is how Mr. Trump has said it. He is very clear about that.
JORGE RAMOS, HOST, AL PUNTO: Well, not necessarily. On June 16, 2015 he said that Mexican immigrants were drug traffickers, criminals and rapists, and that is an absolute lie. And so now President Donald Trump said something that wasn’t true.
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Jorge, we have had that conversation.
JORGE RAMOS, HOST, AL PUNTO: I know.
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: You and I have had that conversation before. We have discussed before…
JORGE RAMOS, HOST, AL PUNTO: Agreed.
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: …all your many viewers and it is clear that he clarified what he wanted to say with that.
Expect Ramos to insist on pushing these points going forward, despite the fact that Fuentes got him to concede that the horse was both dead and well-beaten.
This pretty much sums up Al Punto and Univision News in the Age of Trump.
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well look Jorge, we differ on whether it is going to work or not. You would note that Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden - the three of them – in 2006 voted to build that wall. So it is very hypocritical of them to now say the wall should not be built. The people obviously understand that the wall will work. You would note that Mexico, Mexico, is doing the same thing in Guatemala. They are not building a physical wall, but they certainly have a barrier that they have built.
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: And that is how Mr. Trump has said it. And that is how Mr. Trump has said it. He is very clear about that.
JORGE RAMOS, HOST, AL PUNTO: Well, not necessarily. On June 16, 2015 he said that Mexican immigrants were drug traffickers, criminals and rapists, and that is an absolute lie. And so now President Donald Trump said something that wasn’t true.
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Jorge, we have had that conversation.
JORGE RAMOS, HOST, AL PUNTO: I know.
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: You and I have had that conversation before. We have discussed before…
JORGE RAMOS, HOST, AL PUNTO: Agreed.
JOSE FUENTES-AGOSTINI, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: …all your many viewers and it is clear that he clarified what he wanted to say with that.
