Immigration Program = Free Trip?
Context:
Fox News’ raises concerns about an immigrant program that would allow parents with legal status in America to request refugee status for their children who live in El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras so that the children can immigrate into the United States.
Summary
A Fox News Special Report with Bret Baier and special reporter Peter Doocy describes a new immigration program for children living in Central America:
Bret Baier “An Obama Administration effort to bring more Central American Immigrants into the Country. You (American citizens) are not only paying for the trip but much of their living expenses here in the U.S.”
Peter Doocy: “This program lets parents who have any kind of legal status apply to have their kids picked up in Central America and put on a plane without paying a penny…[and] others are worried about starting a system that ignores people attempting to immigrate the traditional way, by waiting in line.”
Tom Fitton: “What does the rule of law mean if you can break the law to get here and then you can get the government to help bring the rest of your family.”
There are four claims in this news report that contribute to the Straw Man fallacy, and are explained below.
Claim One
Analysis
In this special news report, Fox News misrepresents the new immigration program (In-Country Refugee/Parole Program for Minors in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras With Parents Lawfully Present in the United States) so that it is easier to attack. This intentional distortion is what is called a Straw Man fallacy. Fox News misrepresents the scope of new immigration program so that it is easier to attack and convince their audience that the White House is supporting another “bad for America and Americans” program.
For the average viewer it may be hard to “fact check” this news report because Fox News does not mention the name of this program within their report. A bit strange?
In order to see how Fox News relies on the Straw Man fallacy, we will need to look at the claims Fox News is making and compare it with the claims made by the U.S Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
“An Obama Administration effort to bring more Central American Immigrants into the Country.”
Let’s be clear, the program specifically targets only three countries (out of the seven countries) in Central America and is therefore not allowing all children in Central America to immigrate into the U.S. This program only includes Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Also, the way that this is worded suggests, implicitly, that this program will increase the total number of immigrants from Central America. However, the U.S State Department states in their Fact Sheet on this program:
“It is anticipated that a relatively small number of children from Central America will be admitted to the United States as refugees in FY 2015, given the anticipated December launch and the length of time it takes to be processed for U.S. refugee admission. Any child or parent admitted as a refugee will be included in the Latin America/Caribbean regional allocation of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which is 4,000 for FY 2015.”
So, this program is not allowing an unlimited number of children to immigrate because the existing cap of 4,000 refugees from the Latin American/Caribbean region for the entire year remains the same. There is no guarantee that this program would actually increase the total number of immigrants from this region into America.
Appeal to Reason
Convincing you of the unreasonableness of an idea, program, or argument is easy to do if the argument is changed so that it is easier to attack. Be careful of attempts to persuade through distortion, as this is a Straw Man fallacy! Red flags include: one-sided accounts and failure to reference the argument or idea directly.
Claim Two
Analysis
“This program lets parents who have any kind of legal status apply to have their kids picked up in Central America and put on a plane without paying a penny.”
While Peter Doocy claims that this new program will pay for the air travel of refugee children, this is not reflected in the Fact Sheet on the U.S State Department’s website:
“International Organization for Migration will arrange travel for the refugee(s) to the United States. The parent of the child will sign a promissory note agreeing to repay the cost of travel to the United States.”
It seems like the program will cover the cost but that parents will be required to repay for the cost of the travel. There is also no mention that travel will necessarily be by plane. Now, since most of the Fox News’ report is based on a false claim that this is a “cost free immigration program,” then the major critique of this new program falls flat. The American public should not be concerned about having to pay for refugee children’s airfare to the United States.
Appeal to Reason
Convincing you of the unreasonableness of an idea, program, or argument is easy to do if the argument is changed so that it is easier to attack. Be careful of attempts to persuade through distortion, as this is a Straw Man fallacy! Red flags include: one-sided accounts and failure to reference the argument or idea directly.
Claim Three
Analysis
“Others are worried about starting a system that ignores people attempting to immigrate the traditional way, by waiting in line.”
This statement aims to make it feel like the new program is unfair to other immigrants. The claim that this new program will hinder those applying to legally immigrate through other channels is incorrect. Those immigrating as non-refugees go through a different process and there is a different cap on the total number of people whose applications are accepted on a yearly basis.
This statement also seems to suggest that the process for children refugee status is easy or simple. However, the process on the U.S. Department of State website shows otherwise. It is a long and complicated process that includes completing various forms, undergoing DNA relationship testing and completing a series of interviews.
Appeal to Reason
Convincing you of the unreasonableness of an idea, program, or argument is easy to do if the argument is changed so that it is easier to attack. Be careful of attempts to persuade through distortion, as this is a Straw Man fallacy! Red flags include: one-sided accounts and failure to reference the argument or idea directly.
Claim Four
Analysis
“What does the rule of law mean if you can break the law to get here and then you can get the government to help bring the rest of your family.”
This is claim suggests that illegal immigrants in the United States can use this new immigration program. There are various other comments within the news report that suggest something similar. However, this is a clear misrepresentation of the program. It is harder to attack this program once you realize that only parents who are lawfully present in the United States can apply for refugee status for their children.
Appeal to Reason
Convincing you of the unreasonableness of an idea, program, or argument is easy to do if the argument is changed so that it is easier to attack. Be careful of attempts to persuade through distortion, as this is a Straw Man fallacy! Red flags include: one-sided accounts and failure to reference the argument or idea directly.
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