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Fox Nation equates temporary protections for Haitians in the U.S. with "Amnesty" for "Illegal Aliens"

January 15, 2010 11:06 am ET — 21 Comments

A January 15 Fox Nation headline asserted, "Obama Moves to Grant Amnesty to Haitian Illegal Aliens." However, the article to which Fox Nation linked reported on the temporary suspension of deportations of undocumented Haitian immigrants and on widespread calls for the administration to grant temporary protected status to such individuals, making no mention of "amnesty to Haitian illegal aliens."

Fox Nation claims, "Obama Moves to Grant Amnesty to Haitian Illegal Aliens"

The following headline was posted on Fox Nation on January 15:

fn_amnesty

In fact, Obama administration suspended deportations to Haiti "for the time being"

NYT: Administration "temporarily suspended deportations of illegal immigrants" from Haiti. The New York Daily News article to which Fox Nation linked reported that "the Obama administration has halted deportations" of undocumented Haitian immigrants. The New York Times further reported on January 13 that "Obama administration officials on Wednesday temporarily suspended deportations of illegal immigrants from that country. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Haitian deportations would be halted 'for the time being,' without specifying a time period."

NY Daily News reported calls for temporary protected status for Haitians in the U.S., which "doesn't lead to permanent residency." The Daily News article further reported on calls for the Obama administration to grant Haitians "the U.S. special status to stay here until conditions improve" and stated that "[t]he status doesn't lead to permanent residency and ends after 18 months, but it can be renewed."

U.S. has previously granted temporary protected status to immigrants from countries ravaged by natural disasters. According to a January 13 Wonk Room report, "[t]he U.S. generously granted and extended TPS for 82,000 Hondurans and 5,000 Nicaraguans after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and to 260,000 Salvadorans after an earthquake in 2001. There's no reason why Haitians should be treated any different."

Fox Nation's headlines routinely misrepresent the articles to which they link

Fox Nation: "Fire Napolitano? She Says 'The System Worked,' Then Backtracks." On December 28, Fox Nation posted an article about Napolitano, claiming that she "conceded Monday that airline security failed ... a turnaround from her declaration a day day [sic] earlier that 'the system worked.' " The Fox Nation headline asked if Napolitano should be fired, though the FoxNews.com article to which Fox Nation linked contained no such declarations.

Fox Nation: "Obama Triples Budget Deficit to $1.4 Trillion." On October 9, Fox Nation linked to an Associated Press article posted on FoxNews.com that reported that "[t]he federal budget deficit tripled to a record $1.4 trillion for the 2009 fiscal year that ended last week." The article did not attribute the entire deficit to Obama, reporting: "The unprecedented flood of red ink flows from several factors, including a big drop in tax revenues due to the recession, $245 billion in emergency spending on the Wall Street bailout and the takeover of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Then there is almost $200 billion in costs from President Obama's economic stimulus bill, as well as increases in programs such as unemployment benefits and food stamps."

Fox Nation: "Pelosi Requires All Homes to Meet Eco-Standards Before They Can Be Sold." On July 1, Fox Nation linked to a CNSNews.com article under the headline, "Pelosi Requires All Homes to Meet Eco-Standards Before They Can Be Sold" -- a claim not supported by the CNS article. CNSNews.com's Matt Cover reported that the American Clean Energy and Security Act recently passed by the House of Representatives "contains a new federal policy that residential, commercial, and government buildings be retrofitted to increase energy efficiency, leaving it up to the states to figure out exactly how to do that." Cover then theorized that this policy "means that homeowners, for example, could be required to retrofit their homes to meet federal 'green' guidelines in order to sell their homes."

Fox Nation: "Georgia Only Wants Citizens Voting ... Holder Says That's Racist." In a June 2 headline, Fox Nation falsely claimed that Attorney General Eric Holder "[s]ays" it is "[r]acist" to allow only citizens to vote in Georgia. In fact, the June 1 AP article Fox Nation linked to makes clear that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has not opposed restricting voting to citizens; rather, the AP reported that the DOJ said in a letter that it had rejected Georgia's process after finding that it illegally denies some citizens, and disproportionately minorities, the right to vote.

Fox Nation headline: "Obama Says U.S. Is a 'Muslim Country.' " On June 2, Fox Nation featured a headline stating, "Obama Says U.S. Is a 'Muslim Country.' " However, the June 2 New York Times Caucus blog post to which the headline linked noted that, in fact, during an interview with French television station Canal Plus, President Obama said, "[I]f you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we'd be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world."

Fox Nation: Sotomayor "Wants to Ban Guns." In a May 28 headline, Fox Nation baselessly claimed that then-Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor "Wants to Ban Guns." The headline linked to a May 28 CNSNews.com article that made no mention of Sotomayor expressing or indicating a desire to "ban guns." Rather, CNSNews.com reported that Sotomayor was part of a three-judge 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that cited Supreme Court precedent in ruling that "the Second Amendment does not protect individuals from having their right to keep and bear arms restricted by state governments."

Fox Nation: "Taliban Copies Democrat Playbook" On April 20, Fox Nation featured the headline, "Taliban Copies Democrat Playbook." But The New York Times article to which it linked -- which described insurgency tactics such as roadside bombs -- made no mention of the Democratic Party.

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    • Author by wzwriter (January 15, 2010 11:21 am ET)
      6  
      It makes sense to stop deporting people to a country that's just beginning to recover from a massive earthquake that has destroyed thousands of buildings. Where do the morons at "Faux Nation" think the deportees are gonna go, when a large portion of the general population in Haiti is now homeless???

      But then again, anyone who goes to "Faux Nation" on a regular basis is sorely lacking on mental reasoning skills.....
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Conchobhar (January 15, 2010 11:29 am ET)
        5  
        What you say is, without even taking human decency into account, basic logic, 101. Of course, when ideology and racism combine, logic, to say nothing of decency, goes out the window.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by mari2jj (January 15, 2010 8:30 pm ET)
           
        It truly makes sense in a humanitarian way but never expect Fox toi be watching out for humanitarian needs. They have a straight arrow anti-immigrant meme. When i lived in Alaska, we had the huge earth quake. Most of the ciry of Valdez where I lived was damaged in dsome way or another. But I am grateful that the entire world sent us help. It was like the gathering of the UN. But I never expect my own party to admit our obligation to countries less fortunate than we are. By the way, there is no comparison between Obama's response to an earth quake not even in our own country and Bush's bumbling of Katrina. And that is precisely why we now have a Democratic President. And if the so called Republican mouthpieces like Rush and Hannity etc keep up, many, many more of us moderates will bolt the party. These people just continue to embarrass me with their totally un-Godly speech and actions. It is totally un-Christian.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by dexteritas0071418 (January 15, 2010 11:26 am ET)
      2  
      It's equal to compassionate enforcement, Faux.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by southerngal (January 15, 2010 11:33 am ET)
      7  
      As much as I am for straightening out our immigration mess in this country, clamping down on our borders, and returning those who are here illegally back to their own country, how anyone could twist what Obama is actually doing here, by temporarily halting deportations, is unconscionable. We may be a country of laws but we thankfully do have some compassion and common sense as well.

      These people that will go to any lengths to crap on Obama or out and out lie about what he is doing in the wake of this horrific tragedy are beneath contempt.

      When will low be low enough?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Frankeee (January 16, 2010 12:22 am ET)
           
        You are usually one them but I pass over this
        Report Abuse
      • Author by mikehuck1976 (January 16, 2010 11:52 am ET)
           
        I agree. I am almost never shocked by anything Fox and hate radio spit out anymore. But, this is pretty sick. Clearly, their partisanship knows no bounds. Party over country, party over principles, and now party over civility. One can only hope that there is a payback somewhere in life for these lowlifes with no shame.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by mary59 (January 15, 2010 11:38 am ET)
      4  
      If there is any glimmer of something positive about the Hatian situation, let's hope it will shine a spotlight on the misery in that country and perhaps lead to some actual decent structures being built.
      And all our hopes for ethical and competent leadership to emerge there.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by aBeck in 10-O-C (January 15, 2010 2:02 pm ET)
      2  
      I read the brief story linked by FoxNation. Then I read the first 40 or so (of 178) comments who went for the red meat. Whew! I chose one to sum up the consensus of those FN readers.
      hussein and rahm see more votes and acorn members


      From their unanimous reactions, this President is apparently incapable of doing anything but evil. His current aim is to pack American shores with black Democratic voters who will live on welfare and free healthcare. Send them all back to rebuild Haiti and lock the door behind them. That is the way they see it.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by ForTheLoveOfEllipsis... (January 15, 2010 3:18 pm ET)
        1 1
        From their unanimous reactions, this President is apparently incapable of doing anything but evil.

        Which sums up the conservative media in one single sentence...
        Report Abuse
      • Author by cugagcmu805031 (January 15, 2010 6:39 pm ET)
           
        Never mind millions of AAs like myself who have never received one cent of welfare payments and pays for their own health insurance.

        These dullards have bought heavily into the stereotypes about AAs. Many of them don't seem to realize that there are millions of AAs who are better off economically than they are.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by kml2002 (January 15, 2010 3:12 pm ET)
      3 1
      Temporary Protected Status is part of our nation's immigration law created precisely to respond to situations like this one. It doesn't lead to any kind of legalized status -- it simply permits people to stay in the U.S. without being deported. It also comes with work authorization, which permits people to take on legal employment within the bounds of U.S. law and pay taxes on what they earn.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by cugagcmu805031 (January 15, 2010 6:35 pm ET)
      1  
      Senator Lugar spoke about this, and he endorses TPS. And he is a long-standing member of the GN(O)P. These folks don't even know when their own party members agree with the president. Very pathetic.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by DixieChyc (January 15, 2010 7:13 pm ET)
        1
      My thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Haiti. I, like many others, have made donations through various charities. And that is the way it should be - citizens donating out of the kindness of their own hearts. What I disagree with, however, is our federal govt - more precisely the POTUS - pledging 100,000,000 million to the relief efforts. And yes, I would feel the same if George W was still president! When will the White House and the federal govt get the point that we do not have any money left? We have spent it all. For years! We just keep borrowing more. It is wrong. You cannot give what you do not have.

      Additionally, I am infuriated that the president may (I say may because it is not a fact yet) bring in 45,000 Haitians to the state of Florida, a state that has been hard-hit by the current recession. Jobs are scarce there. Foreclosures are rampant in the state. It is irresponsible to bring in huge numbers of people to a state that can barely take care of the people already there. I am not hard-hearted, but it is time for fiscal responsibility & common sense. 45,000 people suddenly showing up would put a huge strain (and burden) on a state struggling through a tough economy. I admit - it is a quandary because most good people want to help (Americans are the most giving people in the world).
      Report Abuse
      • Author by JLP (January 15, 2010 7:27 pm ET)
           
        wow, 100,000,000 million is an awful lot. I am guessing you mean US$ but that sounds like it makes little sense, you may want to check your basic reading comprehension skills. Yet you feel compassionate about earthquake victims but don't want our government to help and you are infuriated about something that sounds like it came from glenn becks lips to your ears...please try to leave the south at some point in your life to gain a little perspective.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by aBeck in 10-O-C (January 15, 2010 8:03 pm ET)
          1
        "Additionally, I am infuriated that the president may (I say may because it is not a fact yet) bring in 45,000 Haitians to the state of Florida,....."

        From WFTV.com
        There are estimated 45,000 U.S. citizens living and working in Haiti. Now, the work is beginning to get them all home to the United States. Their first stop will be in Florida.


        You have a problem bringing U.S. citizens back home via Florida?

        When will the White House and the federal govt get the point that we do not have any money left? We have spent it all.


        If we don't have money (in the treasury) for humanitarian aid, then we don't have money for war, or for anything else. So you draw the line at humanitarian aid?
        Report Abuse
        • Author by Frankeee (January 16, 2010 12:29 am ET)
             
          Here here! We always find the time and energy to find the bodies and gold for death but never the compassion and aid for life. If anyone ever wanted to ACTUALLY keep America safe and not CRAP on the entire planet, then they should read Three Cups of Tea. Helping people to build sustainable lives for themselves and educating them does far, far, FAR more than a flaming hunk of death from a above ever will for US and global security in the long run and is far less expensive most likely.
          Report Abuse
        • Author by DixieChyc (January 16, 2010 4:07 am ET)
             
          No, I do not have a problem bringing U.S. citizens home to the states if, in fact, that is the case. But 45,000 to one state? No.

          And no, I do not draw the line at humanitarian aid - we do not have the money for war or for the proposed health care reform. We must get on our feet financially.
          Report Abuse
      • Author by mari2jj (January 15, 2010 8:40 pm ET)
           
        Thanks for your post but alas, I am wondering why you did not hold George Bush responsible for all the illegal aliens he allowed to come into our country. Further, who ran up the big U S overdraft we have now. Check it our for they years Republicans have been in power. They inherited a surplus and spent it all plus a whole bunch more. this is a horrible disaster and I hope you are not saying that our government cannot help people who are dying on a daily basis. That idea is just to disgusting to me and I am a life long Republican. No fan of GW's to be sure, but nevertheless, a moderate Republican. AND, where was your budget cry when GW was conducting wars on the cheap so our grandkids can pay for it all or we go broke. Remember Clinton left a surplus and it is all gone and Obama inherited a huge deficit. We as Republicans could have more credibility if we hald our own politicians to this standard we seem to be ranting aobut now.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by miraclelurker (January 16, 2010 2:26 am ET)
         
      Fox Nation has this lede "Haiti: Enslaved by Its Dark History" with a picture of a naked black man in white face. The racist comments are stunning.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by RonaldWStanley@aol.com (January 16, 2010 11:45 am ET)
           
        Is it me or does anyone else thinks Media Matters is a bit biased? I am just wondering why they don't write anything bad about anyone in the Democrat Party. Oh, of course, Democrats are perfect and never does anything wrong. Where was Media Matters when Fox news broke the story on Reverend Jeremiah Wright and his relationship to Barack Obama? Obama was sitting in his congregation for over 20 years listening to Wright spewing anti-American propaganda such as, “No, No, No, NOT GOD BLESS AMERICAN, BUT GOD DAMN AMERICA.” Oh, I guess that is not news that our president listened to this for so many years. The last question I will ask, does anyone think that Media Matter or MSNBC are a bit left wing?
        Report Abuse

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