RA: Deportation

Today I am doing a rhetorical analysis on Ann Carr’s article “Targeting Illegal Immigrants for Deportation Is Unfair and Inhumane.” The specific audience for this article is the general American public, “who she believes, should be made aware of the hardships created by immigration policies.” More over, her audience is more focused to the general public who are more morally aware (religious people) and those who care on families. Most likely, the audience consists of non-Hispanics who don’t have much experience with deportation.

Carr uses a lot of emotional arguments in her article, especially focusing on the family. She relates at least two stories based on illegals who were deported when they had a legal spouse living in the United States. These stories provide a basic argument that deportation laws are illogical—why deport the breadwinner of a family expecting a new baby? Specifically mentioning the hazards of deportation with its physiological damage to young children definitely strikes a cord with those in support of families. She also advocates the right of people migrating to find better living to support the family. She has one part of pure questioning which anticipates her audience’s reaction.

While Carr doesn’t include many statistics or figures, hardly any really—the stories she tells could just be small cases—she does a really good job at arguing through the emotions. Adding to her credibility also is her occupation as a lawyer, working with immigrants.