AP immigration piece buries facts under feelings

After reading the recent article regarding Felipe de Jesus Hernandez Marcelo, a Mexican immigrant in this country illegally, I asked myself one question: How does the AP publish an article that so clearly glosses over the facts? Taking information from that article, here is a summary of the facts:

A native of Mexico, Hernandez entered the U.S. illegally. He was arrested after being shot during a robbery. He later admitted that he was not initially truthful about the circumstances of the shooting because he didn’t want family to know the embarrassing details. He had been communicating with a 20-year-old woman who he thought would have sex with him for cash. It was really a setup to rob him.

After the shooting, police discovered Hernandez had an outstanding bench warrant for failing to pay a traffic ticket received while driving with a suspended license. He never showed up for the hearing. In fact, he’d been pulled over and ticketed “a couple of times” for driving without a license.

The article suggested Hernandez might have qualified for a visa under the Biden administration, but in four years here illegally, he never applied. Instead, the article shifts blame to an executive order signed by President Trump that calls for the “total and efficient enforcement” of immigration laws. What a concept — enforcing laws.

A subheading in the article included the quote “very unfair.” You’ve just read a summary of the facts as they were buried in the article. Decide for yourself.

Adam Cooper

Cedar Rapids