It has become commonplace for so-called \u2018fact-checkers\u2019 to race into print attempting to debunk presidential statements \u2013 especially those of President Trump. This should not be a problem if the fact-checkers were unbiased, but that unfortunately does not appear to be the case.<\/p>\n
The morning after President Trump\u2019s speech to a joint session of Congress the Washington Post\u2019s Glenn Kessler<\/a> and Michelle Ye Hee Lee<\/a> attacked the veracity of Trump\u2019s statements. Among several statements made by the president, the following one on immigration drew their analysis: \u201cBy finally enforcing our immigration laws we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions and billions of dollars and make our communities safer for everyone.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n They wrote<\/a>, \u201cExtensive research shows noncitizens are not more prone to criminality than U.S.-born citizens. The vast majority of unauthorized immigrants are not criminal aliens or aggravated felons<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0That is a favorite tactic of defenders of illegal aliens. By referring to all immigrants \u2013 most of whom are legal and were screened to exclude those with criminal records, the disproportionately large share of illegal aliens with criminal records is hidden. Trump was not expressing concern about legal immigrants, but rather about those illegally in the country. Because illegal aliens are more likely than U.S. citizens to be in state and local prisons (as well as federal prisons) doing a better job at keeping them from entering the country is indeed aimed a making our communities safer. FAIR\u2019s study documenting this fact is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The WaPo fact checkers go on to disparage Trump\u2019s reference to saving billions of dollars through deterring illegal immigration. They attribute Trump\u2019s claim to a FAIR research study (which I researched) that put the estimated annual fiscal burden from illegal immigration at $113 billion. The fact checkers dismiss that finding by noting that some of that cost is for classes for non-English speakers. They write, \u201c\u2026the enrollment number doesn\u2019t tell you anything about the actual citizenship status of students.\u201d While that is true, that statement implies that the costs of educating the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens has no connection to the fiscal burden placed on the U.S. public as a result of the parent\u2019s illegal presence in the country. That is an opinion, not a fact.<\/p>\n Do we need fact checking for fact-checkers? Maybe so if they write for the WaPo.