Univision’s morning show, Despierta América, started the day by swinging into attack mode against presidential hopeful Ted Cruz.
Univision host Natalia Cruz led the charge, telling viewers that “although the candidate has a Latino last name and background, he has come to be known for his anti-immigrant policies.”
As if U.S. Hispanic voters were monolithic voters who base their voting decisions on the immigration issue alone, Despierta América cited unidentified political analysts as saying that the Latino vote will be difficult for Cruz to obtain “because he has not exactly been a champion of immigrant interests in the nation.”
Univision reporter Dayna Rivero went on to feature the comment of an unidentified interviewee asserting that Senator Cruz “is totally opposed to the interests of our community… his heart and politics are not aligned with those of the Hispanic community.”
The report included no voices in favor of Cruz. For opposing Obama’s amnesty and the Senate’s 2013 immigration reform legislation, Univision tarred the Texas Senator with the “anti-immigrant” and “anti-Hispanic” labels.
Polls consistently indicate that issues such as the economy and jobs outrank the issue of immigration among Latino voters. The characterization on Despierta América simplistically equates a candidate’s stance on one approach to immigration with a candidate’s stance within the entire Hispanic community.
As other Republican White House aspirants prepare to announce their candidacies in the days ahead, it remains to be seen whether Univision will continue to solely promote such a partisan narrative, tying a candidate's ability to win over Latino voters to just one approach to the issue of immigration.
Below is the English-language translation of the cited Despierta América segment, followed by the original Spanish.
NATALIA CRUZ: Although the aspiring candidate has a Latino last name and background, he has come to be known for his anti-immigrant policies.
DAYNA RIVERO: Nonetheless, political analysts assert that the Latino vote will be difficult to obtain because he has not been exactly a champion of immigrant interests in this nation.
UNIDENTIFIED PUNDIT: He is totally opposed to the interests of our community.
UNIDENTIFIED PUNDIT: He may have a Latino last name and a Cuban-American father, but his heart and politics are not aligned with those of the Hispanic community.
Original Spanish:
NATALIA CRUZ: Pero aunque el aspirante tiene apellido y origen latino, se ha dado a conocer por sus políticas anti-inmigrantes.
DAYNA RIVERO: Sin embargo, analistas políticos aseguran que el voto latino le será muy difícil de obtener, pues él no ha sido precisamente un paladín de los intereses de los inmigrantes de esta nación.
SIN IDENTIFICACIÓN: Él está totalmente opuesto a los intereses de nuestra comunidad.
SIN IDENTIFICACIÓN: Así que tendrá un nombre hispano y un padre cubano-americano, pero su corazón y su política no está alineada con la comunidad hispana.
