Deadly Wounds in the US-Mexico Borderlands: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Anti-Illegal-Immigration News Media Coverage of the El Paso Shooting and the Viral Video of the United Constitutional Patriots

Abstract

This thesis focuses on two key events that took place at the US/Mexican border in 2019 and the anti-illegal-immigration media coverage of those two events: 1) The El Paso Walmart Shooting and 2) the viral video of the United Constitutional Patriots detaining migrants at the US-Mexico border. I explore the discursive practices used to discuss the El Paso shooting and the UCP’s actions and connect these practices to anti-immigrant rhetoric that has been ingrained in the public discourse of the U.S. I argue the anti-illegal-immigration news media coverage of the El Paso shooting and the UCP reflect, produce, and embody anti-immigrant rhetoric as well as portray white nationalist behavior under the guise of patriotism. I found 5 figures that emerged from my data used by the anti-illegal-immigration media outlets: the “Illegal alien”, the Immigrant Child, the Spectator, the Patriot or the White Nationalist, and the “Monster”.