Fusion
By Jore Ramos and Tamara Weston
September 2, 2015
Since
getting kicked out of Donald Trump’s press conference and told to “Get
out of my country” by a Trump supporter last week, Fusion and Univision
anchor Jorge Ramos
has been the subject of headlines, to say the least. Some disagreed
with his behavior, suggesting his questions were out of turn and even
disrespectful to his fellow journalists; others wondered whether he was
looking for a confrontation in Iowa.
But
perhaps one of Ramos’ most outspoken critics was Fox’s Bill O’Reilly.
The political commentator took to his own website to air his grievances
with the journalist,
calling him “an activist with a radical agenda,” accusing him of
failing to disclose the fact that his daughter is working for Hillary
Clinton’s presidential campaign (though he did in June, here), and even
saying that Ramos has been “hiding under his escritorio”
(Spanish for “desk”) following requests for an interview.
On
Wednesday night, the host got what he wanted. Ramos appeared on The
O’Reilly Factor to discuss why he disagrees with Trump’s plan to build a
wall, opposes Kate’s Law,
and stands by his actions in Iowa.
“Tonight
I just want to get the audience to get to know who you are, Jorge, you
know?” O’Reilly started. “They may be horrified, but I think I have to
do it.”
O’Reilly
kicked things off by asking Ramos why he doesn’t want a border wall
that would “stop people from infiltrating from Mexico into the United
States.” The host mentioned
that a wall could have prevented the death of 32-year-old Kate Steinle,
who was recently killed in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant
who had been deported five times. He said this is why the country needs
legislation like Kate’s Law.
Ramos
disagreed: “I don’t think you are approaching the problem in a global
way,” he said, while stressing that he’s not defending criminals.
“You
are!” O’Reilly responded. “You’re an enabler. Jorge, you’re enabling
guys like Sanchez,” referring to Steinle’s alleged killer.
“You
have to concentrate on enforcement, background checks, and at the same
time you have to resolve the situation of 11 million people in this
country,” Ramos responded.
O’Reilly
asked Ramos, “Do you believe that Mexican nationals—and you were one,
you came to the United States on a student visa and then, I guess, you
did everything, legally,
and you’re here and you’re successful—do you believe that Mexican
nationals, Guatemalan nationals, Honduran nationals, have a right to
come to the United States?”
Ramos
said he believes they have a right if done legally but that immigrants
are coming to the U.S. because they are also needed here by American
companies.
“You
want to criminalize a whole community,” Ramos said. “And at the same
time, we are also responsible. You think they are just coming because
they want to go to Disneyland?
Of course not. They are coming because they are doing the jobs nobody
else wants to do; we are giving them jobs. That’s why they are coming.”
The
Fox host then turned the discussion to Ramos’ career. “You’re an
anchorman, how can you possibly cover illegal immigration fairly when
you’re an activist, when you’re
a proponent of allowing them amnesty?” O’Reilly continued, “You should
excuse yourself from it, or recuse yourself from it, or become like me, a
commentator.”
“Mr.
O’Reilly, I don’t think you are the right person to lecture me on
advocacy and journalism when you spend most of your program giving
opinions and not asking questions,
defending Republicans, criticizing Democrats, and, frankly, conducting
interviews—soft interviews—with conservatives that you agree with,”
Ramos responded. “The difference between you and me is that you are
partisan, and I’m independent.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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