Univision's Al Punto program on Sunday presented a discussion between two men who have done much to stir the passions of the immigration debate: anchorman Jorge Ramos, who uses immigration as a megaphone to spread his belief that the right to immigrate is a fundamental human right and that racism is the underlying cause for opposition to illegal immigration; and Maricopa County (Arizona) Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who regards public issues as a mirror to reflect his endlessly self-propagated image as "America's toughest sheriff."
Although Ramos did his grandstanding best to show why Arpaio "is one of persons who is most abhorred and hated by the Latino community in the United States," Arpaio was atypically effective in showing why Ramos is more propagandist than newsman.
The most revealing exchange occurred as Ramos, challenging Arpaio's assertion that he is proud to enforce immigration law, reached for his driver's license and said, "I am here legally. But it's really interesting because it's just a paper. This is the only thing that distinguishes me from the undocumented."
Responded Arpaio, pointing to the license, "There's a big difference. That is legal."
Said Ramos, "Yes, but that's it. It's just a paper. We can change that, right?"
Ramos, an immigrant from Mexico, went on to elaborate his belief that immigration law is an inconvenient technicality, an immoral hindrance to a universal right.
"This country gave me the opportunities that my country of origin could not give me and I want everyone to be equal," Ramos said. "That's in the Declaration of Independence. You know it....All men are created equally, and you're not treating everyone equally."
When you hear an argument like that, you can understand why Ramos's nightly newscast is so committed not only to defending illegal immigration but also to ignoring the concerns of those who believe that massive unregulated immigration erodes the way of life that makes this country attractive to immigrants. We think that immigration can be successful only if it is limited. Ramos thinks any limitation is un-American.