MSNBC’s DACA Cancellation Coverage: ‘Statue of Liberty Shedding a Tear’
After the Trump Administration announced the official end of the child-immigrant protecting program DACA, MSNBC’s coverage invoked the image of a defeated Lady Liberty amidst “a dark day” in America.
The colorful DACA-cancellation analysis came courtesy of Jared Bernstein, a fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, as well as former vice president Joe Bieden’s economic adviser.
“If you can zoom in on the statue of liberty right now, I would suspect she would be shedding a tear — this is a dark day for our country,” said Bernstein while appearing on MSNBC Live with hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi.
Rather than discussing the morality and ethical dilemmas associated with cutting a program designed to protect immigrant children, MSNBC — a corporate media outlet — opted to focus on economic implications, as Bernstein responded to Ruhle’s question on the issues the decision could cause to the economy:
“When it comes to jobs, Sessions just asserted that the Dreamers, DACA recipients are taking jobs from native born workers, there’s zero evidence for that… These folks have been here since they were kids, and many in the labor market. About 95 [percent are] working or in school. [Sessions] mentioned they were a drain on Social Security… In fact, the opposite is the case. Same with CBO’s budgetary analysis, DACA recipients seem to contribute more in revenues than they cost in spending. These are folks who disproportionately spend taxes and start businesses… This is a really a kick in the own goal when it comes to helping the economy.”
The Statue of Liberty has become a common motif used by media figures to push back against Trump’s immigration policies. CNN’s Jim Acosta recently battled White House advisor Stephen Miller over immigration by using the famous poem engraved on the statue, which reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the administration’s decision to end DACA today, claiming the Obama-era program is an example of unconstitutional executive overreach that put American citizens at risk — both economically and physically.
Watch the clip above via MSNBC.
[image via screengrab]
