Prior to my interview, the network was wrapping up part 1 of their Border Series following a family at the border on the verge of crossing into the United States. Heidi of Al Jazeera was finishing her remarks on the story as I was prepared to join the program.
Heidi of Al Jazeera America: We are finding that it is families, not from Mexico, but from Central America, who continue to cross at peak numbers. Border Patrol continues to arrest a hundred and eight families, on average, a day in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. More of that in Part 2 of our Border Series later this evening. Dale.
Dale of Al Jazeera: Heidi, thank you very much. Let's go now to Douglas Gibbs. He joins us via SKYPE. He's a radio host with KCAA AM. He also helped organize those anti-immigration protests over the Summer in Murrieta, California. Mr. Gibbs, thanks for being with us. It's been six months now since we saw those protests. Do you think you made a difference? Or, as some would argue, did you make a lot of noise?
Douglas V. Gibbs: Ah, I think we did make a difference. And I think President Obama addressed the issue sooner than he wanted to, because of that protest.
Dale of Al Jazeera: So, based on that, in his executive actions, which some critics decried, and yet Hispanics say that deportations are now up 365%, do you praise the President for what he did, or condemn him?
Douglas V. Gibbs: No, I condemn him for it. You know, the laws on the books, the immigration laws, are there to protect the receiving population from disease, from a criminal element, from a terrorist element, and by these immigrants not being properly screened through the immigration process. . .
At this point Dale began to talk over me.
Dale of Al Jazeera: Has there been a terrorist that has made his way across the border that you know of?
Douglas V. Gibbs: I'm sorry?
Dale of Al Jazeera: Has there been a terrorist that has made his way across the border that you know of?
Douglas V. Gibbs: Ah, according to local reports one in three people who cross the San Ysidro crossing are of Middle Eastern descent.
Dale of Al Jazeera: Uh, I wanna ask you this question. And, by the way, I've looked to see if there is anything to back that up because we haven't heard of those statistics here at Al Jazeera America. But, one of the questions that keeps being asked is, are you as concerned about the Canadian border than - which a lot of people would argue is just as porous as the Mexican border - and illegal, and possibly terrorist crossings, there, as you are about the Mexican border - and is this then an anti-Hispanic thing, or a immigration thing?
Douglas V. Gibbs: Well, sure, the northern border is a concern for national security reasons, the southern border, though, is not just national security reasons, but also health concerns. Part of the reason why I participated in that protest is because four weeks before the protest my granddaughter had come down with hand, foot and mouth disease, which was not common in our area, and the increase of cases correlated with the increase of immigrants coming into the area.
Dale of Al Jazeera: But, again, I ask the question. Is this an anti-immigration thing, or is this an anti-Hispanic thing?
Douglas V. Gibbs: It's neither. It's...you know, I'm pro-immigration. My wife was born in Mexico, and came here legally. Ah, what I am concerned about is the screening process not being used.
Dale of Al Jazeera: So, ultimately, yes, or no, was this a good year or bad year when it came to immigration in the controversy?
Douglas V. Gibbs: I think it was a good year because more attention has been brought to it. More people are now involved on both sides of the issue, and are voicing their opinions.
Dale of Al Jazeera: Doug Gibbs joining us again, and we thank you as always for being on the program. I get the feeling this debate is going nowhere, anywhere fast. Doug Gibbs joining us this morning.
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Post Interview Notes:
The interviewer, Dale, looks like he is Hispanic. My speculation was that the producers at Al Jazeera hoped it would make it look like a "Hispanic versus the racist white guy" interview.
On SKYPE, I was careful to place myself on the video where the bottom of the screen was just a little above my belly button. The image, however, on television was zoomed further in than I wanted, making my head dominate the screen, and making me look more menacing.
Dale opened by explaining that I helped organize the anti-immigration protests in Murrieta, which is not necessarily the case. There were no organizers. I did help by inviting as many people as I knew to participate, and I am friends with the people who did most of the work regarding the immigration protests in Murrieta, and I did what I could to help them.
When Dale asked me, "Has there been a terrorist that has made his way across the border that you know of?", I should have said, "It only takes one."
My answer to the "terrorist across the border" quip was about how one in three illegal border crossers at San Ysidro are of Middle Eastern descent. He questioned the validity of my statement, and I can only say that it was true prior to the recent influx, but since a large number of Central and South Americans have joined the hordes coming across the border, that statistic may no longer be completely accurate. Nonetheless, a significant number of Middle Eastern born immigrants do cross our southern border, and there has been reports that a number of them have ties to terrorist groups.
The "anti-Hispanic thing, or anti-immigration thing" question was designed to corner me. I don't think the host expected me to reveal that my wife is Mexican, and was born in Mexico, nor did he expect that I would focus on the health concerns, and my concerns over the lack of screening of these individuals. The need to screen these people to protect the receiving population was never something he commented on. It is a position the liberal left can't argue against.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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