In an April 28 NewsBusters post titled, “CNN Rolls Out Sob Stories From Latino Soldier, Businesses on Impact of AZ Law,” Media Research Center news analyst Matthew Balan wrote:

CNN and CNN.com highlighted opposition to Arizona's new anti-illegal immigration law on Monday and Wednesday by focusing on sob stories from a soldier of Latino decent whose family entered the U.S. illegally when he was two, and from Latino businesses apparently “already feeling the effects” of the law.

Correspondent Thelma Gutierrez's interview of Private First Class Jose Medina first aired during the 6 am Eastern hour of Monday's American Morning program. Anchor Kiran Chetry noted that “Thousands of people staged a peaceful protest outside the state capitol in Phoenix....An immigrant soldier [Medina] about to ship out to the war zone was among yesterday's [April 25] protesters.” Gutierrez continued that the soldier “sat down with us to talk about his feelings and fears over this new immigration law in Arizona that could affect his family.”

During the interview, PFC Medina recounted that when he first entered the military, people who ask him where he was from: “I was proud to say I'm from the great state of Arizona, because I was raised here, I grew up here. I don't know if I can say that so proudly. I don't know if I want to live here any more.” The CNN correspondent highlighted how the passage of Arizona's SB1070 was “personal” for the soldier, and asked him slanted questions about the legislation.