Rachel Maddow Interviews Lalo Alcaraz On His Satirical Movement: Self-Deportation (VIDEO)

Self-deportation.

The brilliant idea was not Mitt Romney's. But ever since he introduced it as a viable solution to the country's broken immigration system, he's been getting all the credit.

Long before the Republican front-runner made it a tenet of his immigration policy, Daniel D. Portado, founder of Hispanics Against Liberal Takeover (HALTO), a "militant, self-deportation movement encouraging all minorities to leave the United States" was championing the cause in the early 1990s following the passage of anti-immigrant Prop.187 in California -- on the radio, to talking heads, even California's Governor Wilson adopted self-deportation as a solution.

Only it was a joke.

In an interview from 1996 with This American Life radio host Ira Glass, Daniel D. Portado is asked why he is still in California if his mission is to self-deport.

He replies, "Well, I am here to help everyone get out. I hope to look forward to the day where I will stand at the border and say, will the last Mexican out of California please turn out the lights? That will be me."

Political cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, the creator of the satirical movement, talks to Rachel Maddow about the gift that keeps on giving.

I wonder if Daniel D. Portado -- aka. Mr. Alcaraz -- is receiving royalties from Mitt Romney's camp for the trademark?

He has already sent a Cease and Desist notice to Patriots for Self-Deportation for use of the word he coined. But more importantly, is he being considered for a cabinet post? Secretary D. Portado.

For more updates by the noted right-wing Hispanic Self-Deportationist: Daniel D. Portado's Twitter

Comments

[robodawa]

11:15 PM on 02/05/2012

Romoney's father George was born in Mexico. Technically, that makes Mitt a Mexican - American.
It's very hypocritical that he does not talk about this. And very telling that it is a small list of Ibero-American politicians who agree with him.

[Gasparilla]

08:29 PM on 02/05/2012

The fact is that the people who don't want it to work will insist it won't. But if you make it where people cannot get jobs, licenses or other id, and any benefits, they are going to go. They got here on their own.

[Karissa36]

05:45 PM on 02/05/2012

It's not a joke any more. It's the real thing, and coming soon, State by State, courtesy of SCOTUS. We're not waiting for the federal government to solve this problem any longer. We're not trading any more amnesty for empty promises of enforcement. Been there. Done that. Didn't work seven times.

[baskemp]

12:13 PM on 02/04/2012

Hey, if the Government is going to pay, I want to self deport to Puerta Vallarta. No, wait, Rio de Janeiro. Nah, I got it ! French Riviera! Yeah! Let me get packed!

[vallesula]

07:59 AM on 02/04/2012

Americans, you might think I am PHULL of it, but if you wanna LQQK at the face of your next president,scroll up, then take that to the bank.

This man,although a lot richer than Dubya, he IS openly for the establishment, by the establishment and has nothing but contempt for America's poor.

He pretends to care for the middle-class ....B$ !!!!!!.

Like Dubya, this guy hasn't got a clue how Main Street lives - NADA !!!!!.

Vote for this guy, then be ready to eat $hit by the $hovel fulls for the next 8 yrs.

[Howard Latchford]

04:03 AM on 02/04/2012

Just like enforcement of our immigration laws was always a joke!

[Coloboricua]

02:35 PM on 02/03/2012

Now that Mexico is dangerous to live...why would they go back to a place thats overruned by these druglords...In the past few years over 45,000 dead...WTF..Their govt. dont give a damn about their own people...Everything is currupted...I think most Mex. would stay here just to survive even if that means they live a demeaning life..U.S. busineses took advantage of them..Our U.S. leaders are pathetic...and dont enforce the laws.How can these fools be called leaders and the American people well they should wake up and stop being suckers and vote and hold our leaders accountable.

[Paul Barton]

09:42 AM on 02/04/2012

actually the Mexican economy is growing. it has a thoroughly corrupt and dysfunctional government but that is due to it being a one party state for most of the last century not to mention the fact of a white european ruling class which has a disregard for the indian populations that make up its majority and are the majority of those who cross the border into the U.S. Our two countries are not exactly unrelated to each other. We have drug cartels in all of our major cities as well as a large powerful government and law enforcement. Mexico supplies us with oil and the U.S. demand for drugs is fueling the violent rivalry of the Mexican drug gangs.

I have no doubt that 20% of a population leaving ANY country would result in some similar social upheaval. Still... the problems of Mexico are not beyond solution.. it's just that the slide of Mexico into chaos is the result of precisely the sorts of policies being advocated by the extremists of the right here.

[SouthOfCincy]

12:47 PM on 02/03/2012

Romney's got the right idea, just wish he'd use the correct term - "attrition through enforcement". Google it.

[Maggie K]

02:58 PM on 02/03/2012

Yes, because applying a fancy name to it makes it something other than what it is, which is "self-deportation". :)

[robin briano]

03:06 PM on 02/03/2012

Good luck with that.

[BlairCase]

11:45 AM on 02/03/2012

A recent Huffington Post article estimated that Alabama's new immigration law has driven up to 80,000 undocumented workers out of the state in just a few months. That a very large number considering that the state's illegal immigrant population was estimated at 120,000, including nonworking dependants. Of course many of the undocumented will move to sanctuary states, but the exodus of undocumented workers from Arizona suggests self-deportation isn't a joke.

[elogco]

09:51 AM on 02/04/2012

Yep, and that Deep Ellum state is suffering for it: the economy has lost millions of dollars in revenue, there's no one to pick the crops, and many businesses have gone under. Ya reap what ya sow.

[Daly]

10:05 AM on 02/04/2012

so the illegals of Alabama are gone; the elected of Alabama said the good people of that state would get the jobs that the illegals were hogging; what happen?  Farmers produce rotted in the fields; other companies have high turnover rates which cost the company more money.  Alabama lost it's workforce and it's ability to rebound depends on them attracting the very same people they rushed out.

[SusanR]

06:24 PM on 02/05/2012

Actually their unemployment rate has gone down. Lots of able bodies wefare receps that can be picking crops for their checks

[John fulano de tal]

11:19 AM on 02/03/2012

Gee Mitt, if self-deportation works, I wonder if self-regulation on Wall Street and the Big Banks will work too?

[oscar329]

01:07 AM on 02/04/2012

IT IS TRUE! he runs around with wolves, learns to howl. I think you have been hanging out with Hispanics/latinos waaaaay too long. I have not known a single one of them that takes responsibility for their actions, it is always somebody else's fault.
You must be one of them who lost most -if not all- of your retirement funds due to this financial crisis. Yet, years back, when their funds were growing at a fast pace,I never heard anybody complaining about it... I wonder why?
There have always been financial regulations -just as there have always been border patrol and inmigration laws- the problem, as we have come to face, they were never truly enforced.
The fact of the matter is that you either lead, follow or get out of the way; what would you have done if you were one of them Wall Street-Big Banks guys?

[elogco]

09:55 AM on 02/04/2012

Probably, like Enron, Goldman Sachs, Bernny Madoff, and the rest...take the money & run.

[truegroundspeed]

10:02 AM on 02/03/2012

Self deportation is an uncertain resolution. The illegals have access to extensive social services and support courtesy of the US taxpayer. It will be harder to move them out of the house than an unwelcome mooching relative. They're in charge of US immigration policy and they're not going to walk away from a good deal.

[dtairtime]

12:12 PM on 02/03/2012

I fear you are right.

It is one thing to use programs like e-verify to remove some illegals but that is only part of the picture. Certainly if all illegals only come here for jobs then they would all leave. But that is a myth. They come for many reasons. They come to pop out an anchor and thus win the social programs lottery for their child. They come to wait for the next amnesty. They come to commit crimes or be in gangs. They come to use our hospitals.

We need to remove all the rewards and if nothing else most will leave and that small number remaining will be much easier to handle. Plus at least they won't be driving wages down or fleecing taxpayers.

[umdcyberdoc]

01:01 PM on 02/03/2012

I wish you guys knew what you were talking about back in the day you could land here and walk in to a welfare center and collect benefits. That is no longer the case and rightfully so. My mother was born and raise here and she was diagnose with alzhemier and just to get her the services she needs is like pulling teeth I must be in the wrong state.

[Karissa36]

05:38 PM on 02/05/2012

E-Verify nationwide for all jobs, and all social benefits and services, will solve that problem. Make it so that only citizens can collect benefits. No benefits will be paid to non-citizens, even for citizen children. When they need a citizen Guardian appointed to collect welfare and food stamps for their citizen children, the welfare problem will slow down considerably.

[billhodges]

05:45 PM on 02/05/2012

Outstanding ideas. We need to push our representatives and Senators to promote these ideas.

[Irish georgia peach]

05:45 PM on 02/05/2012

Hi Karissa. Our state implemented E-verify at midnight on New year's Eve. Our unemployment has dropped 1.1% in 30 days. The children of illegals in our public schools have already begun to disappear as their parents have started to flee to santuary states. I expect those states and cities will soon realize that they are suddenly overwhelmed due to their policies.

[Gaaltero]

09:51 AM on 02/03/2012

Rachel is the BEST. Funny as hell.

[dtairtime]

12:12 PM on 02/03/2012

He is isn't he?

[Gaaltero]

01:21 PM on 02/03/2012

Sound like you a little confused, buddy. You like men?

[Maggie K]

02:38 PM on 02/03/2012

Displaying your tolerance and non-bigoted point of view I see. :)

[rubbercow]

09:01 AM on 02/03/2012

So, is his last name "Alcaraz" or "Alcatraz"?

[Daly]

10:16 AM on 02/04/2012

Alcatraz was an island long before it became a prison and like lots of places in California the names are of Spanish origin perhaps because they were the original people of the land..  

[rubbercow]

10:31 AM on 02/04/2012

The headline originally referred to him as "Lalo Alcatraz".