Pundits and comedians – let alone Newt Gingrich – have had a field day ever since Mitt Romney started using the term “self-deportation” to describe his approach to the issue of illegal immigration. Romney began using it more frequently and publicly after he embraced Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach – one of the architects of laws adopted in several states that are essentially meant to make life so hard for illegal immigrants that they will willingly return to their native lands.
However, the NPR show “This American Life” reveals the term originated with two Mexican-American parodists who started a routine in 1994 where they pretended to be right-wing Hispanics in favor of a California proposition to prevent hospitals from treating illegal immigrants.
The New York Times has a full rundown on their career here.
