Me, an immigration reporter: “Por qué se fue de su país?” You, an immigration reporter: “¿Por qué viniste a los Estados Unidos?”
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It’s not just tu/vos/usted. It’s what we ask: When we ask someone why they left a country, it allows the opportunity to explain what they’re fleeing. When we ask why they came to the US, they’ll often laud an American Dream narrative. You set the frame when you ask the question.
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I’ve personally heard reporters ask an asylum seeker, “Why did you come here?” only to later complain that the person didn’t really explain the violence they’re fleeing. That’s because the reporter already set the frame.
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Asylum seekers identify reporters as part and parcel of the US. Because we are. They answer the questions we ask — which is not necessarily the same as the stories they want to tell. Think through the frames you’ve used to limit the way your understand someone else’s story.
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Usted por todo la gente que yo no conozco.
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This is a very interesting point on the use of language, the way we frame our questions, and power. Lots to think about.

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This topic area has always interested me as an attorney. While I am not an
#immigrationattorney I’ve seen summaries of clients’ intake information & their factual situations that have come from pro bono agencies. The facts gleaned & language used during intake is so critical.
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Great topic. Although I'm not entirely aligned to the difference of "usted and "tu". In most cultures south of is reserved for parents, senior citizens and clerical authorities, with everyone else rapport can be built easier cut distances. But that's 2nd to the actual issue. 1/2.
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The first question has a lot of empathy, "what's making you venture away from your home". The second implies annoyance at the fact the inmigrant also comes to the same place the reporter is.
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That tone is widely spread in South Texas among immigrants regardless of time of their own migration: "why they also have to come here?" Most likely, same reasons as you.
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Simple when you explain it all so well Thank you
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This is why I'm critical of the "view from nowhere" type of reporting. It's an illusion. We all have a mental model of the world, it is finite and incomplete, and it necessarily was built up from our own point of view. This must be understand *and* acknowledged.
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