{"id":2467915,"date":"2025-07-28T19:21:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T23:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-tries-to-paint-illegal-alien-as-award-winning-saint-but-his-criminal-record-tells-a-different-story\/"},"modified":"2025-07-28T19:23:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T23:23:19","slug":"media-tries-to-paint-illegal-alien-as-award-winning-saint-but-his-criminal-record-tells-a-different-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-tries-to-paint-illegal-alien-as-award-winning-saint-but-his-criminal-record-tells-a-different-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Tries to Paint Illegal Alien as Award-Winning Saint &#8211; But His Criminal Record Tells a Different Story"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmedia-tries-to-paint-illegal-alien-as-award-winning-saint-but-his-criminal-record-tells-a-different-story%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2467915&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article criticizes Newsweek for portraying Darwin Contreras, an undocumented immigrant arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), as a model citizen based on a President&#8217;s Education Award he received in 2012.Contreras, who has been in the U.S.since age seven, has a criminal history including theft and drug possession, which the article argues Newsweek downplays. The award cited is described as relatively easy to obtain, granted to millions of students annually who meet moderate academic standards or receive staff recommendations. The piece questions why the media highlights Contreras&#8217; past achievements and traumatic journey from el Salvador instead of focusing on his illegal status and crimes. The article suggests that portraying individuals like Contreras as exemplary undermines law enforcement and the immigration system, contrasting this narrative wiht harsher treatments such behavior might receive elsewhere.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Newsweek attempted to paint an illegal alien who was arrested for driving under the influence as a model citizen on Monday, citing an award he received 13 years ago that&rsquo;s reportedly given to millions of students each year.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/ice-obama-award-winner-immigration-2104904\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">article<\/a> didn&rsquo;t open with Darwin Contreras&rsquo; criminal past, but rather stated he was &ldquo;recognized by former President Barack Obama&rdquo; and is now &ldquo;being held in federal custody following a routine court appearance.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Contreras, 27, has been in the United States since the age of seven, and &ldquo;was a recipient of the President&rsquo;s Education Awards Program,&rdquo; his wife, Elizabeth DeJesus, told the news outlet.<\/p>\n<p>Newsweek even obtained a copy of the award from all the way back in January 2012, during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fox-news-analyst-explains-obama-thanking-trump-tulsi-gabbards-intel-bombshell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Obama&rsquo;s<\/a> first term.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This boy was turning into an athletic man with dreams of pursuing soccer as a career. His senior year, he unfortunately had to drop out and get a job. So instead, he picked up track and field,&rdquo; DeJesus added.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He motivated his teammates to go hard during practice and to never stop. After graduating from high school, he got a job and continued to work hard,&rdquo; she continued.<\/p>\n<p>They&rsquo;re making him out to be the patron saint of high school sports, despite the fact that he dropped out of school and later turned to a life of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/just-4-months-trump-crushed-crime-rates-murder-plummets-rape-robbery-collapse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crime<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The award, by the way, is not very difficult to qualify for, especially if you consider today&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-undercover-mothers-moms-form-covert-network-to-expose-indoctrination-programs-plaguing-private-schools-across-the-country\/\" title=\"Exclusive \u2014 \u2018Undercover Mothers\u2019: Moms Form Covert Network to Expose Indoctrination Programs Plaguing Private Schools Across the Country\">declining academic standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>All a student has to do is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ed.gov\/grants-and-programs\/recognition-programs\/presidents-education-awards-program\/frequently-asked-questions-presidents-education-awards-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">maintain<\/a> a 3.5 GPA and do relatively well on &ldquo;State Tests and Nationally-Normed Achievement Tests.&rdquo; They can also have their SAT or ACT scores taken into consideration.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the Education Department&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ed.gov\/grants-and-programs\/recognition-programs\/presidents-education-awards-program\/frequently-asked-questions-presidents-education-awards-program#:~:text=Grade%20Point%20Average:%20Students%20are,semester%20of%20the%20exiting%20grade.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website says<\/a>&nbsp;a student can be considered if they receive &ldquo;recommendations from a Teacher Plus One Other Staff Member,&rdquo; reflecting their &ldquo;outstanding achievement&rdquo; in a specific subject.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The second recommendation from a school staff member may address, for example: involvement in community service or co-curricular activities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not exactly the Nobel Prize. In 2016 alone, three million students were recipients of the award, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.educationworld.com\/a_news\/3-million-students-receive-recognition-us-department-education-847711927#:~:text=Search-,3%20Million%20Students%20Receive%20Recognition%20from%20U.S.%20Department%20of%20Education,all%20eligible%20for%20the%20award.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to Education World, an online content provider for teachers and administrators.<\/p>\n<p>Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, spoke with Newsweek and said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/19-year-old-illegal-immigrant-runs-red-light-without-license-now-entire-family-will-deported-together-dhs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Immigration<\/a> and Customs Enforcement agents detained Contreras while at a court hearing for a DUI.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, this is the type of person we want to at the front of our citizenship line. Forget tech workers, medical students, writers, teachers, mathematicians, or engineers. We need people who were brought here illegally as children, but who didn&rsquo;t finish high school.<\/p>\n<p>Why didn&rsquo;t Newsweek begin the story with his criminal background? Why would they lay out his achievements from over a decade ago?<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/send-violent-illegal-aliens-to-live-with-rogue-judge\/\" title=\"Send Violent ...s To Live With Rogue Judge\">criminal history includes convictions<\/a> for theft and possession of marijuana,&rdquo; McLaughlin emphasized. &ldquo;This criminal illegal alien admitted to law enforcement that he is in the country illegally.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The media is putting everyone who&rsquo;s up for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/scotus-shuts-activist-court-clears-way-trump-begin-deportations-third-party-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deportation<\/a> on a pedestal. It&rsquo;s unbecoming for a news outlet to take this approach.<\/p>\n<p>If painting him as an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >innocent scholar-athlete wasn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t enough, Newsweek went on to highlight &ldquo;Contreras&rsquo; journey to the U.S. from El Salvador&rdquo; and how it &ldquo;was marked by trauma,&rdquo; according to his wife.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He witnessed harrowing scenes, including dead bodies and acts of exploitation,&rdquo; the article read.<\/p>\n<p>Seriously? Then why didn&rsquo;t his family try coming in the right way? Because they probably wanted to jump the line and knew they had to break the law to do it.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;On his second attempt, instead of being reunited with his mother, he was met by authorities and a caseworker, and spent time in detention before being placed in a foster home,&rdquo; the article explained. &ldquo;He eventually reunited with his mother, and he went on to grow up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he attended school and thrived.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>DeJesus then blamed &ldquo;ICE&rsquo;s actions&rdquo; for disrupting their lives and causing her husband to devolve into a &ldquo;deteriorating mental and physical state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Contreras is awaiting a hearing date to determine his fate, Newsweek reported.<\/p>\n<p>He broke the law, plain and simple. You can&rsquo;t violate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-admin-cracks-5-universities-alleged-discrimination-american-born-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">federal<\/a> rules and then claim you did it for the right reasons. And you certainty shouldn&rsquo;t be allowed to benefit from it.<\/p>\n<p>If American citizens tried using this defense in other countries, the police there would likely lock them up and throw away the key.<\/p>\n<p>Yet in the U.S., far-left politicians and mainstream media outlets prefer to treat illegals like overachieving heroes who deserve to be canonized. Go figure.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Newsweek tried to portray an undocumented immigrant arrested for DUI as a model citizen by highlighting an award he received 13 years ago, which is reportedly given to millions of students annually. The article did not begin with Darwin Contreras&#8217; criminal record but instead mentioned that he was &#8220;recognized by former President Barack Obama&#8221; and is currently &#8220;in federal custody following a routine court appearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2467916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Darwin.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[60123,3813,32490],"class_list":["post-2467915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-criminal-record","tag-immigration","tag-media-bias"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Darwin.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2467915"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2467923,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467915\/revisions\/2467923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2467916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2467915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2467915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2467915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}