NPR interview falls short on border issues

I've grown weary of people who criticize without offering solutions. It's easy to be negative; it's harder to offer realistic alternatives.

I've also grown frustrated with journalists who enable this kind of negativity.

Case in point is the Sept. 24, 2021 NPR interview with immigrant advocate Alicia Schmidt Camacho, who was invited on "All Things Considered" to discuss what should be done about the many migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. I like NPR a lot, but in this case interviewer Audie Cornish allowed Camacho to persistently ridicule U.S. policy with little effort to suggest options.

When Camacho said that "deterrence does not work," Cornish could have asked, "Then what does work?" When she said U.S. immigration policy was a "failure," Cornish could have asked, "What would you do instead?" 

Not only did Cornish not ask those questions, she allowed Camacho to lecture listeners on off-topic points. Yes, we well know that these migrants have traveled a long way and that immigrants fill many jobs in the U.S., but telling us that does nothing to address border issues.

Eventually — though unprompted by Cornish — Camacho did say that she favored "decriminalizing ordinary migration" and dismantling the "large-scale carceral system" used by immigration agencies. 

What does that mean? It sounds like she supports open borders. But why should we have to guess?  Don't let Camacho hide behind academic jargon. Ask her directly: "Do you support opening the borders and allowing everyone in?"

Such pointed questions are not rude. They are necessary.