Members of the press have hit upon a deliberate strategy to influence the debate surrounding immigrant deportations: Lead with emotion, then trickle out facts, perhaps selectively.

The coverage follows a pattern. First, the headline presents the deportee as a blameless bystander. Then come the laments — how the individual has been “ripped” from his community, how his family is in turmoil, how his life has been upended, and so on.

These individuals are often portrayed using unofficial but undeniably American labels: “Maryland dad,” “Georgetown scholar,” and “Harvard researcher.” Rarely, if ever, are they identified by nationality. Rarer still is any early detailed mention of criminal charges or convictions, where applicable. When details of accused or convicted wrongdoing emerge, they are buried deep within the piece, concealed beneath the advocacy quotes and appeals to sentiment.

This editorial sleight of hand has become too consistent to attribute to anything but intent. It is a conscious effort to steer the immigration debate in a direction that unequivocally favors the deportees.

Consider Newsweek’s Apr. 6 article titled, “Veteran who has been in U.S. since he was 4 years old faces deportation.” We are informed that Jose Barco is not only a veteran but also a decorated one. We learn that he........

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