Sinclair Broadcast Group has given Mark Morgan, a senior fellow at the extremist anti-immigration group Federation for American Immigration Reform, three opportunities in the past week to further spread his lies about immigration to local TV stations around the country. These appearances included a prerecorded national news package aired during dozens of local news broadcasts that didn’t disclose his affiliation with FAIR, and two live interviews on Sinclair’s morning news program The National Desk, which airs on 68 Sinclair-owned or -operated stations -- and the anchor mentioned his FAIR affiliation during only one of them.
Anti-immigration extremist continues to spread debunked lies on Sinclair's local TV stations
Written by Zachary Pleat
Research contributions from Casey Wexler
Published
FAIR is one of a trio of nativist organizations founded by white nationalist and eugenicist John Tanton, who explicitly wanted to keep the U.S. a majority-white country through limiting immigration. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center -- which has designated FAIR as an anti-immigrant hate group -- one of FAIR’s main goals is “upending the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which ended a decades-long, racist quota system that limited immigration mostly to northern Europeans.” Sadly, Sinclair is not alone in promoting this nativist organization -- local news outlets at the border, national news organizations including The Associated Press, and Nexstar Media Group have also often cited FAIR and other such groups in their immigration coverage.
Morgan, who was Trump's acting chief of Customs and Border Protection, used his perch on Sinclair’s programming to demean immigrants, make false claims about immigration statistics and policies, and rehash old right-wing media myths. During his two interviews on The National Desk, he repeatedly used the dehumanizing term “catch and release” to describe President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. The term is generally used to refer to any policy that allows immigrants to be released from detention while their cases are being processed -- but using the term in an immigration context “essentially reduces the apprehension and incarceration of human beings to a sport,” as explained in the book Governing Immigration Through Crime: A Reader. In both interviews for The National Desk, Morgan also referred to Biden’s immigration policies as “open borders,” which is highly misleading given that border enforcement and immigration laws still exist under the Biden administration.
During Morgan’s February 16 interview, he also lied when he claimed that “85 to 90%” of unauthorized immigrants who are released from detention fail to appear for their immigration court hearings. In fact, data show that a sizable majority of immigrants in recent years who are not detained attended their immigration court proceedings. Family units applying for asylum that participated in an Obama administration pilot program had nearly perfect attendance for their Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins and court hearings -- but the Trump administration canceled that program. And multiple studies and analyses have shown that several categories of asylum-seekers had court hearing attendance rates of over 90%.
Morgan also claimed that “the overwhelming majority of the asylum claims are not good; they’re fraudulent.” But PolitiFact has debunked similar claims, citing immigration law experts who say that some asylum cases can be meritorious but fail due to lack of a lawyer, and other cases “can be closed or dismissed for many reasons, none of which invalidate an individual’s claim.” Morgan also used that interview to push old right-wing lies about sanctuary cities.
During the second The National Desk interview on February 23, anchor Jan Jeffcoat asked, “Are we testing these migrants for COVID as they’re entering the United States?” Morgan replied that “right now they are not being tested,” but neither noted that there was not universal testing when he was in charge either. The Customs and Border Protection agency told PolitiFact “that it does initial inspections for symptoms or risk factors associated with COVID-19, and ‘pursuant to longstanding infectious disease protocols,’ refers immigrants who might have an infectious disease to local clinics or hospitals ‘for appropriate medical evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.’” CBP added that “procedures for COVID-19 have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic,” when Morgan was still running the agency.
Morgan’s third Sinclair appearance this past week was in a national news package from correspondent Kristine Frazao, who quoted his fearmongering about unauthorized immigrants getting a job, paying taxes, and starting a family. Morgan also misleadingly claimed “there are multiple studies” showing up to 22 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. -- but that figure comes from a single study by MIT, and the Pew Research Center’s most recent estimate is that there are 10.5 million.
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From the February 16, 2021, edition of Sinclair Broadcast Group's The National Desk
JAN JEFFCOAT (ANCHOR): As asylum-seekers continue to make their way to the border, President Joe Biden is now facing pressure from Americans and those migrants still waiting south of the border. Former head of Customs and Border Protection and a senior visiting fellow at the Federation for American Immigration Reform Mark Morgan joins us now this morning. Quite the title there, thanks for joining us. The Biden administration did announce plans, as we know, to reverse former President Trump’s remain-in-Mexico policy by beginning the process of allowing those asylum-seekers to enter the U.S. So as their cases move through the court system, tell me what concerns you about this policy reversal?
MARK MORGAN (FAIR SENIOR FELLOW): Well, Jan, first of all, I think you're accurate to use the term “reverse,” because some say ending the program -- but, well, the Biden administration has done much more than that. They’ve ended -- not only ended the program, but they've actually reversed the effects of success. Here's what concerns me, is what we are watching right now is the United States government facilitating illegal behavior. And why can I say that? Because we know and they know that once they are released -- which is that's what we're seeing right now, we're seeing the reinstatement of catch and release. These individuals now that have been in Mexico are going to be allowed into the interior of the United States.
And we know once that happens the majority of them do not show up for court. Those that do and get a court ordered removal do not comply. They remain in this country illegally. In 2019, CBP and ICE released together almost 500,000 individuals into this country, the majority of which we’ve never seen again and they're going to remain here in this country illegally. That's a true -- that’s a fact and that's what concerns me.
JEFFCOAT: So let’s talk about the screening that takes place before the asylum-seekers are allowed to enter the U.S., because I’m always interested in how this process works. So, as they move toward the border and they go through this process, how do we know what they're claiming -- the asylum-seekers -- how do we know the claims are factual and warrant entering the U.S.? Because there are some that clearly are factual, and that are warranted here in the U.S.
MORGAN: Yeah, Jan, and that’s the point. We’ve said that all along, and what we know -- the Biden administration knows this too -- is they know that the overwhelming majority of the asylum claims are not good; they’re fraudulent. Why? Because the vast majority of illegal immigration is based on economics. They’re looking for jobs. That is not a valid asylum claim. So that’s what makes this worse, that’s what makes catch and release such a horrible policy, and it encourages people to come. Because the Biden administration knows, just like we all do, is that economics, looking for a job is not a valid asylum claim. They don't care. They’re going to come in -- they can almost say anything to get past the first step of the process and be released into the United States, never to be heard from again. That's the fact.
JEFFCOAT: Let’s talk about catch and release, because you just now said it. You said that, you know, we release the migrants back into the U.S., and then they have to go to this court hearing. What percentage actually makes it to that court hearing?
MORGAN: The percentages shift, but we’re anywhere between 85 to 90%. And here’s what’s important -- it’s a combination of either they don't show up, Jan, at all for their hearings, or the few that do show up, once they get that order, remove, from a judge, they don't comply. So it's a combination of not showing up and then not complying. That number is between 85 to 90%, and they stay here illegally. And, Jan, here’s the issue is -- what’s going to happen to them? They’re going to -- the next five, six years, they’re going to be demanding the next level of what? Amnesty. That's what’s happened, we’re in this vicious cycle.
JEFFCOAT: During the Trump administration, we often heard about sanctuary cities and states protecting illegal immigrants from deportation. What do you foresee happening under the Biden administration when it comes to these jurisdictions?
MORGAN: It’s clear, he said it, he supports it, he’s going to expand it. And think about it, think about what they’re already doing. So with the stroke of a pen, President Biden and this White House has already restricted ICE’s enforcement authority. So unless you’re a known or suspected terrorist or are convicted aggravated felon, you're not a priority. You get to stay here.
But think about it, sanctuary cities go a step further. There were some issues this week about sex offenders potentially being released and ICE finally got that figured out and they weren't released. But here's the fact -- sanctuary cities, they would release them. So it’s a combination of the enforcement restrictions by this White House on top of sanctuary cities that's going to continue to release criminal aliens into our cities. How does that make sense?
JEFFCOAT: And very quickly, I’m seeing reports that President Biden is now facing pressure from those asylum-seekers below the border there. How much do you think that's factoring into this immigration plan?
MORGAN: Look, from -- after 30 years of law enforcement experience, to me, Jan, 100%. Because I know what he's not doing is, he’s not listening to the border experts; he’s not listening to the data, facts, and analysis; and he's not listening to and paying attention to the science behind border security. Because if he had and if he was, he would not be implementing these open border policies that are threatening, making our borders less safe, our country less safe, and a danger to the men and women enforcing our front lines of this great country.
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From the February 23, 2021, edition of Sinclair Broadcast Group's The National Desk
JAN JEFFCOAT (ANCHOR): Let’s shift to the immigration bill, and let’s also shift to that as well because the first group of migrants seeking asylum are now on U.S. soil. And part of the Biden administration’s rollback of Trump’s remain-in-Mexico policy, this was part of it -- at the same time though, U.S. officials right now are also warning migrants not to come to the border. How confident are you -- I see you shaking your head there. How confident are you in the Biden administration’s ability to control the flow of migrants now looking to enter the U.S.?
MARK MORGAN (FAIR SENIOR FELLOW): It’s already out of control. They’ve already lost control. Look, a year and a half of rhetoric during the campaign saying he was going to open the borders, since inauguration he has done just that with the stroke of a pen, executive order after executive order.
…
JEFFCOAT: Are we testing these migrants for COVID as they’re entering the United States?
MORGAN: No, my understanding is right now they are not being tested. And that’s another problem. So look, even outside of COVID, this is a disaster, the crisis is already here, 3,500 a day are crisis-level numbers. But you add in on top of that we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic, it’s unconscionable and it defies logic.
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From a Sinclair segment airing during the February 18, 2021, edition of WGFL's CBS 4 News at 11PM
KRISTINE FRAZAO (SINCLAIR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT): For decades, the hurdles have been insurmountable. While every president since Ronald Reagan has attempted to pass comprehensive immigration reform, none have been successful. President Biden and Democrats in Congress hoping this time will be different.
…
FRAZAO: It includes an eight-year pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the United States before the first of this year; an even shorter process for agricultural workers and DACA recipients, those brought to the country as children; more funding for immigration judges; and $4 billion to try to confront corruption in Central American countries, to put an end to the issues prompting these migrants to make the dangerous journey in the first place.
…
FRAZAO: This is, of course, just step one of a plan that could look very different once it comes up for a vote in Congress. But critics say the impact has already been striking in the message it’s sending to migrants and smugglers.
(VIDEO BEGINS)
MARK MORGAN (FAIR SENIOR FELLOW): If you're letting people in illegally in the United States, protecting them from lawful deportation -- in four or five years, they've got a job, they pay taxes, they have a family -- they’re going to be the next group saying, “Well, now we want amnesty.”
(VIDEO ENDS)
FRAZAO: Former head of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan echoes the sentiment of many Capitol Hill Republicans, who say the plan rewards people for breaking U.S. laws, and believe that estimated 11 million number could also prove problematic.
(VIDEO BEGINS)
MORGAN: There are multiple studies that said that number could possibly be double the 11 million. So we’re asking Congress to pass a bill that they have no idea ultimately how much is going to be -- going to cost.
(VIDEO ENDS)