Rhetorical Analysis

The article “Miscalculation on Visas Disrupts Lives of Highly Skilled Immigrants” (2015), by Julia Preston, states the State Department and Homeland Security allowed the department to give anticipating immigrants news of them being able to take the next step to obtain a green card. The author provides background information about the situation, along with reasons as to why the incident occurred, and its impact on immigrants. Preston attempts to inform about the episode and provide an explanation to the immigrants involved, through the use of rhetorical appeals. Preston establishes ethos before the article starts, as she is a reporter of a reputable newspaper, which gives her credibility. She starts off her article powerfully by providing context for those who are unaware of the situation; in the beginning of September, the State Department told thousands of highly skilled legal immigrants that they “would be able to advance early to the next step: filing a formal application.” However, they ended up disappointing a huge majority by retracting their previous statement as …show more content…
Preston uses phrases such as “exciting news”, “dashing their hopes”, and “disrupting their lives” to emphasize the impact this has had on immigrants. To strengthen the claim made about the effect on others, Preston includes quotes from several credible people, such as California Representatives, Zoe Lofgren and Michael Honda, who say “This revision seriously undermines the stability and predictability of our immigration system.” The speaker appeals to logos to explain additional problems that have grown with the issue; temporary visas are restrictive, the number of applicants is exceeding the limit of green card visas available, and many immigrants made life changing decisions to prepare for the next step in vain. Preston uses pathos when she introduces Sadhak Sengupta, an immigrant from India and a medical research scientist looking for a