WTF is really the only reaction I have.
National Geographic, an organization that I have generally seen as responsible, is now promoting "Border Wars". If all the pre-show hype is to be believed, this is about as trite a piece of military propaganda as has ever been produced.
Ride along on chases, rescues and busts with the brand-new series Border Wars,... NGC cameras were given special access to go on duty with CBP agents and officers as they use every means at their disposal — from high-tech stealth planes to basic wilderness skills — to track, catch and deport illegal immigrants.
The question is; will all sides of the tragic conflict on our border be told?
The initial indications say 'no'.
An in-depth look at what is happening on our border is a good thing. If this is done with no balance on the questionable policy or the tragic consequences of Border Patrol activities, this is just one-sided propaganda.
In any fair treatment, there will be balanced honest coverage of..
- Charges of racial profiling and questionable practices that civil rights groups claim are common practices of Border Patrol agents. These would include coverage of the harsh treatment of women and children in raids, the questionable legal tricks to herd alleged immigrants through the system without legal representation and the mistakes made in deporting American citizens.
- Racial profiling, the practice of Border Patrol agents entering buses or public places and screening out people with dark skin for interrogation.
- Claims from the ACLU and other that unecessary Border Patrol policies are increasing the number of migrant deaths.
- Our privately poorly run, detention and sometimes-deadly detention centers. Including voices of people who have been in the system.
- The battle by groups like Border Angels to limit immigrant deaths caused by border enforcement.
- The sometimes tragic effect of Border Patrol activities on American citizens, communities and families.
Does it look like the National Geographic Series will be anything more than Pro-Enforcement propaganda?
The videos they are offering are standard military propaganda fare... clean-cut young men chasing brown-skinned people in the desert with Jeeps and Blackhawk helicopters. Not much there outside of the narrow narrative.
Then there is this ridiculous game... where you get to be a Border Patrol Agent dealing with people with Hispanic names crossing the Border. Do you deal with issues of racial profiling?. "No". Are you enlightened about your affect on communities in the US? "No". Is there anything about the role of white people in the gun/drugs trade. "No". Is there anything more than keeping you guard up against Hispanics? "No."
Let's play.
Game: Learn what it is like to be a Customs and Border Patrol agent, protecting the border at the port of Entry. Your decisions will determine the outcome, so choose well.
Your first inpection of the day is a silver pick-up truck with a lone male inside. "Buenos dias" you say, wishing the driver a good morning [how polite I am] as he hands you his ID. Eduardo Herrera. The face seems familiar, but no the name. Of course, you see hundreds of people every day so you could be wrong. His ID looks legit, so the next move is yours. What do you want to do?
Ask Eduardo some questions.
Examine Eduardo's truck.
Me: Ask Eduardo some questions.
Game: ... He says he is going to visit a cousin who lives in Phoenix. When you ask the cousin's name, Eduardo pauses to wipe the sweat from his brow, then says "Herminio". It's a very hot day, so his hesitation might honestly mean nothing. You also don't want to hold-up traffic much longer, so you need to decide what to do next... and fast.
Me: Let Eduardo leave and keep things moving.
Game: Watching Eduardo drive away, you hope you didn't miss anything. The drug cartels always have "spotters" watchin. the Border patrol...you also don't want them telling their superiors they've found a new weak link at the border... you.
The game then continues where you arrest Alejandro Mulero, a teen with his aunt and uncle you have to tearfully arrest with heroin duct taped to his back (the pulp fiction aspect of this game is amusing).
Then you arrest Amanda Schiere (the picture is clearly a Latina) who has a fake ID.
The game ends with you lying in the hospital after you opened fire on a mini-van.
"Perhaps the most painful part is learning that the blue and black mini-vans escaped into the night. Still your fellow agents consider you a hero for risking your life."
What is National Geographic peddling-- journalism, or propaganda?