That was ridiculous. Of course, republicans now accused joe biden, of having what they call an open border policy. That too is ridiculous. 12 bidens rhetoric may not be as angry or in some cases as up to says trumps fighting is no friend of the immigrant without a visa. Im john kerry onto welcome to the whistle blowers the. 2 2 2 2 id like to read you something written by our guest today. Quote. On january 14th, victor, my de la sanchez, said us a 33 year old mother from mexico city, stepped into the rio grande, holding the hands of her 2 children. You are lie, ruby, age 10, and jonathan augustine, very honest, the sunshine 8. We dont know how they got into trouble in the strong current, or if they even knew how to swim, group of bait, mexicos border rescue service, saw them struggling and called the us border patrol. Agents went to the park gate a couple of miles from the boat ramp. Soldiers of the Texas Military department refused to let them through. Mexican authorities tried to rescue the mom and her children. They were able to save 2 others, but the 3 drowned and group of beta could only return to mexico with their bodies. Later, the Texas MilitaryDepartment Said that its soldiers standing behind a chain link fence had shown high powered lights on the water and use their night vision goggles, but somehow had seen nothing. The white house called the event tragic and used it as evidence to support its case before the us supreme court. Challenging texas is assertion that it is entitled to a wrecked razor wire board or barriers and use its own soldiers to stop migraines from crossing the river. The texas governors policies are cool, dangerous and inhumane said a d h. S spokesperson . Congressman Joaquin Castro added this, he said quote, texas officials allowed 2 children to drown and quote, it within days. President joe biden said in a statement, if Congress Passed the bill to continue funding, warren ukraine and genocide and guys, he would agree to. And he migrant provisions that are part of the reason the less on shot and her Children Ground a quote i will shut down the border immediately. The president promised id like to welcome david bacon to the show. Hes a photo journalist of fine art photographer, author, and Union Organizer, and hes also inactive as his work can be seen in museums and galleries around the world. Welcome, david. Thank you so much for joining us on the big admirer of yours, john. Thank you for having me. Oh, thank you. Believe me, the feeling is absolutely mutual. David, i want to begin by admitting to my own bias. I am the grandson of refugees. Many members of my family came to the United States as what are sometimes now called illegal aliens. All they wanted to do was to work, pay taxes and help their poor relatives in the old country. They learned how to speak english, they worked hard. They waited for an amnesty and then they got their citizenship, their children, and their childrens children, including me, have become very successful. Its the american dream. And frankly, the country simply cannot run without immigrants, whether theyre documented or not documented. So why the hostility toward people who happen to not have a visa, why the anger, the hatred, and the unrelenting work to throw these people out of the country as well. We hear a lot from trump and his mug acolytes. Um, i think we ought to really step back in and, and ask ourselves really who is angry here . Because i think really the majority of people in this country are not hostile and dont hate immigrants. In fact, when republicans try to run one repressive measures around immigration as their main political plank, so to speak, they lose the elections. Um, but i think its also true what youre saying because there is a long history of racism in this country. You know, the ku klux klan was organized against black people, but also against immigrants, against catholics and jews, mexicans. And the last reason i think why this continues to be a problem is, is basically that keeping immigrants vulnerable and documented, for instance, is profitable. Look at the profit, so the agriculture industry, which is built on and documented those labor, thats right. And on thats makes, it gives some people at least a self interest in trying to keep things the way they are. And so making that kind of racial and data, and were going to stare him when i see old news clips or even clips from old president ial debates where people like richard nixon, Ronald Reagan, even george h. W. Bush are talking about undocumented immigrants. Their positions are full of compassion. None of these men, all of whom consider themselves to be conservative. Republicans could today survive in the, in the Republican Party. Many of them would be seen as to pro immigrant even to be democrats. When do you think things changed in the us toward, toward migrants, at least this, this harden shift to the right. And why did the National Attitude swing so far in the anti immigrant direction . At least among conservatives to well, the Republican Party is not the same party as it was in the presidency of Ronald Reagan writes, proud reagan almost been extremely conservative anti communist president. But he did sign the Immigration Reform and control act in 1986, which was the last that gave the immigration and the state to about 2 and a half 1000000 people. Now it also had some repressive aspects to it. It sort of initiated the whole process of notarizing the border for instance. So even then, um it was sort of a, a compromise. Right . But the Republican Party is that exist under donald trump is not interested in a compromise of any kind that would offer a legal status. For instance, the people who dont have it. Democrats, you know, they really have not oppose this in a way theyre running scared on, you know, when biden proposes compromise that you referred to earlier. And i think is main reason for doing that was to try to kind of blunt the attack of, of truck and extreme republicans on that said the biting is soft of migration. So instead of really providing a real principle, the fierce defense of the rights of migrants and the rights of working people in general, what he did was, he said, well, im gonna, ill do, you know, im going to close now the border. Thats not something that kind of stops the republicans in their tracks. If anything, it gives some even more. More enter my tech david. Tell us about these actions by the governor of texas, greg abbott, to you serve some of the federal Governments Authority to control border access. His policies had been ruled unconstitutional, but he just keeps added any way. What should we expect to see there or . Well, you know, some of his policies, as you say, are put on hold. These appealed the ruling that said that it was unconstitutional for him, for us to put on razor wire barriers in the middle of the Rio Grande River as a way of preventing back. Well, yeah, he, he says preventing migrants from crossing list. Lets get real about this of the, of drowning migrants in the river, which is exactly what happened on to the subject and your kids. But hes also proposed a lot of other anti immigrant measures in texas. And he pushed through a loss through the Texas Legislature that makes being on documented itself a state crime on now under federal law, being and documented is a, a violation of immigration status. But its not a federal crime. In fact, when the congress was attempted to do that, back in 2006, there were an immigrant marches. And in the United States been involved literally 2000000 people to i was there, you know, in los angeles or where they had to march is each with a 1000000 people are that was able to stop that effort on the federal level. But on map it is push this through on the state level army, he propose building more border walls and reading barriers asylum, forcing the firing of millions of on documented workers to whats called the verify system. And i think the worst one is permitting children to be held in Detention Centers with their parents. And its not just passing laws, you know, texas residence has just recently tried to shut down the Reception Center that tries to help migrants once they do come into the us and go through the processing by. Im Us Immigration authorities, that the Catholic Church itself ran in el paso, for the last 27 years. And texas is now trying to shut down by new ministration one as you just know that those core decisions versus texas on the border. But joe biden has not been very much more supportive of migrants than donald trump was. Hes nicer about it. Hes less controversial about it. Why are the democrats not fighting for the rights of immigrants like the Democratic Party of the past . Did . Why are they mirroring republicans in so many ways as well . A big part of the Democratic Party has bought into the basic idea that underlies a lot of these repressive measures. And that is that on immigrants, migraines crossing the border are a threat. They treat them like an enemy, the whole idea of in sports, and that is to keep people out after all, this is why the assumption or kids drowned in the river was that the whole basis of the policy there is to stop people from coming because they are a threat and they are, the enemy is kind of like even a militarized idea of who migrants are. And you know, were talking about People Data Center who is from mexico. So you, we dont know that much about her, but right. But the people who are arriving at the border are our workers, theyre farmers, theyre ordinary people like you and arch. So what makes them a threat . This is kind of what underlies it. And then of course, you know, theres this miscalculation, i think, on the part of part of the democratic board, including biden, this set, the things that anti immigrant ideas and hysteria is a wildly popular idea among people and in this country. And that they can win the election by competing with republicans in who can be seen as the most stamped. I am regret, david, stay right there. Were going to take a short break. And when we come back, were going to talk to david thinking about what realistically can be done to protect the human rights, civil rights and dignity of those people trying to make their way to the United States in an environment of hostility and of dirty politics. Stay tuned. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 its almost uh, almost a cliche in the west, but this whole idea of, with my, to the last few frames and theres some truth behind it. I mean, think about it for the american 60000000000. 00 for the reason. A package, not a lot of money. A lot of money stays within the United States in terms of the defense contracts and the like and pulled out money that, you know, they buy time, they prolong the war, but keep russia busy. You know, this is the, ultimately, this, what the west is doing is on a file, you know, trying to preserve west to take him and the 0 board near ship did it should. So with the generalized scam, i dont only neely combine in that. I need that i have yet still a condition where image started the 1st ok branch and to show us where, where to get ship pushing. Were in the homework or whatever. Sure. We have to put it on to our terminal. So, but if i gave me an answer, our current in the sense that matters. Your name really quick here. That wouldnt be able to lower the visit duke center, cuz your cell closes tours to perform the product is closer with some whole show you know, trying to set our september sister i was into your layoff. Courtney church the year one year or 2 very heavy or a sheet of or was no money orders. Those are here for before in june gate to their mom or so for yeah, orders santori does your or the the the welcome back to the whistle blowers. Im john to reaku. Were speaking with david bacon, hes a photo journalist, fine arts photographer, author, Union Organizer and artist. Thanks again for being with us, david. Its a pleasure. Its a pleasure, john. Thank you for inviting me. Thank you, david. I want to return to the very powerful piece that you wrote as part of a presentation with which i opened the show. It harkens back to that epic song deportees by Woody Guthrie, Woody Guthrie saying about a plain load of migrants who were being deported to mexico when their plane exploded over los gatos, california. He lamented that they wouldnt be known by their names, but only as deportees. The bottom line here is that so Many Americans see undocumented refugees as somehow less than human. And indeed, donald trump has said that they were animals and that they were less than human. Tell us about this family that was lost in the rio grande and about the challenges that my friends face on their way to the United States as well. You know, john actually on the the people and what do you, guthrie saw who died in that plane crash. The reason why he calls them deportees was because there was no record that was captive their names and were talking here about the late 1940. So this is not something is and recently a very um, uh, brave and pioneering activist went through the records of the parishes in the Central Valley in california where people were buried. Ads found their names and went to mexico and their families and kind of in did this anonymity that in which people were treated and which customer he was testing in his song. So, you know, its both. I see both things exist in our country here, but the effort to serve the human eyes, migrants, and treat them as people with no name or as you said, you know, to install. So calling people animals or killers or, or what terrace or what have you. This is. Busy the weight of, of car do you nice people and seeing them its as not human, but i think its also true. So we have at the same time, people who are very courageously trying to not just keep track of the humidity of migrants, but to talk to them individually and deal with their cases individually and advocate for them individually. So right join in terms of the, of the santa and her 2 kids home. What we really know about her is, is that she was a poor person from mexico city. And the we have had a wave of migration from mexico for many, many years, at least for, for 5 decades. And over whelming leads of people who are coming to the border, are people or workers, they are farmers. And whats even more important is it in many cases they are also victims. Busy of the policies that the us has, i apply way would be to say, encouraged in mexico, but i would really want to say imposed on mexico. Its a free trade policies that basically have tried to force the Mexican Government to, to use unemployment and poverty as a way of forcing down the standard of living of people in mexico to make it an attractive place for us corporations when best. Right. But the price of doing that is that you make it so difficult for people to survive, that in order to eat them to put food on the table. Busy or pay the rent or what have you, people lead to the us to look for work. And that is what we do know about data such in her kids. And that is that she was doing something she needed to do in order to survive as a person. And thats a reason why the survival has become so difficult is decades and decades of these kinds of free trade policies, yoga free trade agreements. And using poverty is as a, as both a magnet for investment. But on the other hand, a something that displaces people and force them to move. I want to ask you also what i think is an important question that may be a controversial one, but here goes, why do we, why do americans not understand that it is us Foreign Policy that creates these immigration crises, imposing for example, right wing dictatorships on tiny Central American countries or wrecking hades, economy or imposing crippling sanctions on cuba and venezuela . Why do we not understand that . Thats what forces people to leave their countries. Why is it that so Many Americans just cant see the connection between immigration and u. S. Foreign policy. As well, i think we have to look at where people in this country get their information from and overwhelming leads of mass media in this country plays a very, very bad role here. And 80 of which you mention is a good example of that right now. The us is gearing up for basically military intervention in haiti. Once again, yes, im using other countries as, as proxies. But essentially the us is paying for this and us as a what this pushing this idea that he must be occupied militarily. Again, im using as a pretext is supposedly the file level of violence and 80 is so great that in order to protect patients, that this is what has to happen. This is a completely false idea of what is happening in haiti. He has been suffering from a basically us imposed series of governments whose main purpose is to make a, again, a profitable place for us investors, the garment factories, the ones that make the baseball gloves, the wilson, baseball gloves. All of these are our, our hub. This is kind of what motivates us policy as well as kind of trying to keep a control political control over countries and in the caribbean. And so this was why on the us put, jump that runs out of state who was really the only popularly elected progressive president that he has had yeah. Offer in so much very subjective. And us put him on a plane to the Central African republic. Um, in order to remove him as president in order to keep the situation intact. And of course, what this really means is that again, you have governments that impose these poverty conditions. One haitians and when we are a squint comes, you know, they collect the money from the, you know, foundations or whatever and put it in their pocket instead of helping patients. And so of course, asians are in the need of survival just like people come for mex, score people coming from venezuela where us economic sanctions have had the same effect. So the us is, is imposing the conditions that produce the migration. And then when people cross the border, treating them as though they are the enemy. Yeah. So they are criminals in some way. There are state laws in places like texas in arizona that prohibit people from providing food, water, clothing, shelter for any help at all, to people who cross the border without a visa or those laws being enforced. And is there any real way to oppose them as well . There is a long history of the Us Government or federal government as well as state governments like texas trying to enforce those pro additions on. But i think that one of the best things that we can see now is that people are doing this any way, you know, 10. This is an old all the months or area council, which was an organization in tucson, arizona, and was tried by the federal Government Back in the 1990s for supposedly the crime of, of helping on documented people today. We have another. Busy position called no more desk that goes out into the border to greet migrants as they are traveling through the desert. Im giving people water helping people to survive. And this is being treated again, both by federal prosecutors and by the conservative government and the state of, of arizona as harbouring immigrants harboring illegal aliens. You know, this is the charge that is being leveled against people. And thats pretty serious. You know, people can go to prison on for that, but people do it any way. So this is i think in the great tradition of civil disobedience and it goes along with, its not just reading people in the dust are leaving bottles of water for b. Busy to drink if they are dying of thirst, but also that they are that against that the Detention Center. Because we have to remember that there are literally thousands of people in prison of Detention Centers around the country. And we have other organizations. I know that theres one this called the immigrant movement for is you for human integrity. Um that is organizing march is from Detention Center to Detention Center here in california to try to force the closure of the Detention Center and actually did succeed in richmond, california in closing the west county Detention Center. So these traditions of activism not being out in the streets and civil disobedience, i think are, are ones that the on the is efforts to pro it prohibits them are not succeeding. And ive seen the same goodness for these people who are doing it anyway. Thats right. How can those of us who feel strongly about encouraging emigration. Fight this, this sharp move to the right in america . What can be done if anything, to impacts policy as well . I think that we have to, 1st of all, we have to oppose the threat of fascism on this coming november. It is possible that we could have what in effect would be a, kind of a proto, fascist government in this country. And one of the 1st people who have groups of people who would pay the price for that would be on immigrants, especially on documented people. Because trump is already talking about deporting millions of people. Putting millions of people who have pending cases in the immigration system into prisons while their cases are being adjudicated. So we have to stop that. That is the 1st and most primary thing. But um, we also have to make sure that those people who are print are being presented as the alternative. So we are pressuring them and doing everything we can to force them to take a stand against is instead of source, trying to compete without, you know, how to improve grading, right, immigration, you know, the trump, and, and of that part of the Republican Party that they actually take a stand and also that tell the people the truth in this country that through the way of opposing this is by talking about the real reasons why people are coming here. The people are not a threat, theyre not the enemy. And trying to deal with the humanity of people and then deal with the reasons why people are, are forced to leave their home countries to begin with. All of those are the necessary things. I think thats right. David bacon. Thank you so much for joining us. Was a pleasure. The great 19th century american poet, emma lazarus is famous poem, the new colossus says, this quote, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door and quote, this poem is immortalized at none other than the statue of liberties. It is what made america the great destination of immigrants and refugees from around the world. And when did that change, why did it change . The west has gone down the wrong path on immigration immigration, and the diversity that it brings are the keys to american success. I want to thank our guests, david bacon for being with us today, and thank you to our viewers for joining us for another episode of the whistle blowers. Im drunk to reaku. Follow me on some staff at john kerry echo. Well see you next time. The. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 the, the analysis, what theyve done a said that then you kind of a facade indeed and then put them in to, in my car here. What do it assuming that the, to look into intermedia nikoto is the dimensions of the scene. Send the most of the, to the, the most in the, the the, [000 00 00;00] the, [000 00 00;00] the of wealth engine was a part of a few years ago at close, connected conflicts with soldiers killing each other in near proximity. Whats considered obsolete at least among militarily at south nations. It was stopped opposite, a remotely controlled west funds or part knuckles diploma. Save could deliver