FLASHBACK: Dan Rather warned in 1995 of Americans being 'replaced by foreigners' in CBS immigration special
The Media Research Center resurfaced an episode of a CBS episode of "48 Hours" on Thursday, where host Dan Rather analyzed the numerous hazards of mass immigration.
The Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog group which maintains a massive archive of news going back decades, is working on a report about a resurfaced TV special from CBS. CBS has been in the news in recent weeks for a report where it was accused of downplaying the amount of violent criminals among the millions of illegal immigrants now residing in America.
This comes as America is in the midst of a national debate about immigration — both legal and illegal — and its impact on America as a country.
NewsBusters senior research analyst Bill D’Agostino, who works for a division of the Media Research Center, released an extensive thread summarizing his findings in the archived footage.
ROGAN AGREES BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP IS A 'CRAZY LAW' ENABLING MOST OF US MIGRANT PROBLEMS
"1995: CBS’s Dan Rather warns that Americans are being ‘replaced by foreigners.’ I found an entire one-hour episode of CBS’s 48 Hours about the harms of both legal and illegal immigration, titled ‘Slamming the door,’" D’Agostino wrote Thursday.
In a clip he shared of a preview for the special, Rather narrated over clips of people voicing their concerns about mass legal and illegal immigration, and summarized, "Tonight on ’48 Hours,’ anger over immigration, Americans fired and replaced by foreigners, schools and hospitals strained to the limit, criminal aliens on our streets. Should America slam the door?"
One major clip D’Agostino shared in the thread from the special itself was of Rather summarizing the core concerns about mass immigration – both legal and illegal.
"When’s the last time you heard Dan Rather talk like this?" D’Agostino asked. The former CBS anchor is an outspoken progressive and was often accused of exhibiting liberal bias during his CBS tenure.
The clip also comes after a resurfaced 2010 clip of then-President Barack Obama defending deportations. The same year as the 1995 CBS broadcast, then-President Bill Clinton decried "the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country" during his State of the Union address.
After referring to America as a "melting pot," Rather warned in the 1995 broadcast, "the melting pot may be boiling over."
"In the next 48 hours, an estimated 6,000 immigrants — both legal and illegal — will arrive in this country, straining our ability to handle this flood of newcomers," Rather said. "And now, this nation of immigrants faces a painful question: should immigration be slowed, or even stopped?"
The news host went on to say, "It’s a question more Americans are asking, as they view these new arrivals with concern, and even in some quarters, outrage."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
"It’s hard to believe, but back before Democrats decided to start importing voters, broadcast journalists sometimes covered immigration from the perspective of Americans," D’Agostino responded to the clip.
Billionaire X owner Elon Musk, who has been critical of both legal and illegal immigration, replied, "Those days are long gone."