The Nation takes a different perspective than NPR regarding the “Remain in Mexico” policy. This article titled “Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy Is Illegal Under International Law” from The Nation is against the policy because it’s illegal under international law to have people stay in Mexico before their trials. Returning back to Mexico may be difficult for those asylum seekers who have no job and/or connections locally. The Nation also discusses how it may be violent and dangerous for people to cross the border and return to Mexico, which is another reason why this policy should be reevaluated. One man interviewed in the article stated that his wife had been deported back to Mexico even though she was pregnant and clearly stated her fear of returning.
This article also has a bias; however, it is in the other direction from NPR. The Nation is focused on getting quotes and perspective from those asylum seekers that are impacted by this policy instead of government officials, which NPR was more focused on. Both of these articles are emotionally driven because of the quotes given from administration officials of the Department of Homeland Security as well as the asylum seekers. Although, people may feel as though The Nation’s article is more emotionally driven because of the direct quotes from those being impacted by the policy and having to deal with the violence and fear of returning back to Mexico.
Chen, Michelle. “Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy Is Illegal Under International Law.” The Nation, The Nation, 7 Mar. 2019, www.thenation.com/article/trump-border-mexico-international-law-human-rights/.
The article titled “’Remain In Mexico’ Immigration Policy Expands, But Slowly.” From NPR is for the policy to have people stay in Mexico before their trials. The “Remain in Mexico” policy is intended to discourage the increasing number of migrants that are escaping Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to seek asylum in the U.S. immigration courts. This article discusses that the Department of Homeland Security is starting out with smaller numbers within the asylum seekers to be sure that the process is smooth running and it can hold before seeking larger numbers of migrants. If the process works and the coordination with Mexico is set, then the program could expand to Texas and/or other locations. Lastly, the article mentions that immigrant rights’ advocates are going to court in hopes of shutting the program down.
There is bias in this article because NPR is focusing on government officials and those enforcing the policy instead of those who are being impacted by the policy such as the migrants. All of the quoted statements that are included in the article are coming from administration officials within the Department of Homeland Security. These selected officials’ quotes show that this article is mainly focusing on where the officials are coming from and not how or what the asylum seekers are feeling towards this situation and policy.
Rose, Joel. “’Remain In Mexico’ Immigration Policy Expands, But Slowly.” NPR, NPR, 12 Mar. 2019, www.npr.org/2019/03/12/702597006/-remain-in-mexico-immigration-policy-expands-but-slowly.
The Trump Administration developed the Migrant Protection Protocols program, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program. This program requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico for the duration of their immigration hearing. This program is causing confusion and problems for both asylum seekers and the lawyers who are trying to represent them.
The article Immigration lawyers struggle to navigate return-to-Mexico policy by Priscilla Alvarez for CNN covers the topic in detail. The article utilized interviews and quotes from outside sources whom have had issues with the policy. This includes Andrew Nietor, an immigration attorney bases in San Diego, CA. In addition, the article includes facts from The Department of Homeland Security and the American Immigration Council. These statistics provide concrete information to support the claim that legal representation is important. According to The Department of Homeland Security, as of March 12, the US has returned 240 migrants to Mexico. The article then goes to state how legal representation has a huge impact on this issue.
The article is biased, as CNN typically is. The article discusses President Trumps opinion on immigration and his recent actions when mocking and questioning the immigration system. Another issue is that the only hyperlinks within the piece are to other CNN articles. This means that the reader does not get linked outside of CNN to any beneficial information.
Overall, the article is biased but is not overt. The use of statistics and quotes distracts from the bias of the article. The author tells the story of asylum seekers in a way that interests but clearly does not favor the policy or current administration.
At the entrepreneurship event I was able to hear advice and learn helpful tips from successful entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs that included in the panel were John Dinkel, Chris Daley, Elizabeth Trimm, Andy Brown, and Garrett Pfeifer. Some of these entrepreneurs are owners of well known businesses like Enterprise and EAT Pizza. Each panelist got to tell their story on how they got their businesses up and running. A common characteristic among all of the panelist was that they were willing to make a sacrifice to get what they wanted. Another key characteristic they mentioned was to network as much as possible. The more people you know and are friends with, the more opportunities you have for you and your business.
The panel related to our course in many different ways. Most of the panelist mentioned how people should use talents or things that they are good at and try to make some type of income from it. For example, learning how to use WordPress. Learning WordPress could be a form of income in many ways. You could use WordPress to develop websites for upcoming businesses, potentially create a popular blog, or even use it for your own business promotion.
Rhetorical analyses are conducted to allow the reader to understand the text and its intended messages. According to Writer/Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects, a rhetorical analysis is classically defined as “a method of describing the context in which an author wants to communicate his or her purpose or call for action to the intended audience in a genre” (Arola et al. 22). Many questions can be answered through the analysis, such as “why did the author compose this text?” and “what is the texts purpose?” The following rhetorical analysis will take a look at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and analyze how the organization utilizes interface design to portray a cohesive message aurally, visually, spatially, gesturally, and linguistically. The visualizations not only tell the organizations story, but also work to encourage action, involvement and donation.
from https://www.lirs.org
AUDIENCE
The LIRS identifies their primary audience through how the website is designed and where focus is placed. The website is organized spatially and places a large red button with the words “donate” within the top right-hand corner. This identifies the primary audience as donors or those looking to provide money. After clicking the button, a page appears that includes the heading “Say yes to helping families.” Under the heading is a donation form with a quote which states “your contribution helps” (“Lutheran,” 2019). The secondary audience can be identified through linguistics. The website provides information on how to volunteer or get involved in many spaces. In addition, the words “God” and “Faith’ are used continuously throughout the website. This means that LIRS secondary audience is volunteers who are Lutheran or religious. They appeal to this group by incorporating verbiage that appeals to their faith.
from https://www.lirs.org
PURPOSE
The overall intention and purpose is to increase donations and physical volunteers. This is evident through the repetition of the words “donate” and “get involved” on almost every page. No matter what page is visited on the sight, there is always a “donate” button that is visible. The secondary purpose is to educate others. This can be seen through the ability to read stories under the “The Latest: In The News” panel on the home page. In addition, there is a “press room” page that provides insight into articles previously published with LIRS name in it.
Also, the visualizations located on the website clearly indicate the intended purpose. The visuals on the website include a consistent blue color theme. According to color psychology, blue is associated with peace, tranquility and reliability (Ciotti, 2016). This reinforces the mission that can be found under the “About Us” tab. Conveniently located as the first option on the toolbar, the “Mission & Vision” page discusses the mission as “a witness to God’s love for all people, we stand with and advocate for migrants and refugees, transforming communities through ministries of service and justice” (“Lutheran,” 2019). This purpose is also reinforced through the linguistics used on the web page. Terms such as “God” and “faith-based” are scattered throughout the website, showing that a secondary purpose is to work and educate through religion.
CONTEXT
The context in which the LIRS information can be access is through a website. It can be assumed that the reasoning behind this is because it is easy to access. In addition, websites are universal, customizable and can be shared online. This also provides a quick and easy way for those to donate online. The LIRS has taken advantage of the technological era that we live in and has manipulated the donation page to provide “preset amounts.” This means that suggested donations amounts are offered to sway donations. In addition, there are many cultural connotations within the text. The website provides insight through updated news stories. These stories provide a present day look into religion and immigration. The news stories and present-day photos allow the reader to see that the issue of immigration is a modern-day issue. The LIRS utilizes the gestural mode by asking the viewer to scroll up and down to receive all the information. The website pushes information that is easily accessible and can be reached by many.
from https://www.lirs.org
AUTHOR
The website contains an “our leadership” page that provides information about the organization and those involved. Credibility is built by mentioning that all branches of the Lutheran church are represented on the board, as well as other denominations. It is also mentioned that there are three former refugees or immigrants on the board. The organization also shows credibility by listing their partners including resettlement, immigration and foster care partners. While the exact author of the website cannot be confirmed, the director of marketing and communications is Danielle Bernard. Individual information is not provided about this director, therefore her credibility cannot be confirmed or denied. The intention of the website was to display the organization as a whole, which explains the lack of individual information. The LIRS makes up for this in the credibility that they receive from their recourses, partners and press room.
from https://www.lirs.org/our-leadership/from https://www.lirs.org/press/
GENRE
The genre this text is an informational resource. The organization is a non-profit, which means it is centered around educating, getting people involved and obtaining donations. Similar to other texts in the genre, the LIRS is a very informative and easy to navigate platform. The LIRS website is very comparable to other resources such as The Esperanza Center or The Maryland Immigration Rights Coalition. The websites all feature spaces to donate, volunteer and updated news archives.
CONCLUSION
The LIRS website utilizes its modes and affordances to provide an interesting and informative site. The visuals of the website allow for clear navigation and messaging. As a non-profit website, it provides a balance of information and call to action. The website could benefit from personal stories clearly placed on the website. The home page could benefit from a video to provide more aural and gestural support. Overall, the website was efficient in telling the organizations story through its modes.
REFERENCES
Arola, Sheppard, & Ball. Writer/Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects. Boston, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014.
Ciotti, Gregory. “The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding.” Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur, 13 Apr. 2016, www.entrepreneur.com/article/233843.
“Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.” LIRS, 6 Feb. 2019, www.lirs.org/.
