The immigration debate got heated on “CNN Newsroom” with host Carol Costello, when two women did not agree on what to do about the number of undocumented minors.
Crystal Wright, and editor for ConservativeBlackChic.com, and Keli Goff, a columnist for The Daily Beast, began arguing about whether Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer-prize winning journalist who is undocumented and was brought to the U.S. illegally, should be able to stay in the country, when many children are being deported.
“Jose has no cultural ties to the country in which he was born,” said Goff, to which Wright responded, “neither do these children, so they should’ve been deported just like Jose should’ve been deported.”
“But he wasn’t,” retorted Goff. “So what I’m saying is, Crystal, I mean I don’t know if you identify as African-American, I do, but if you drop me off in Africa I couldn’t speak the language. I wouldn’t speak the language, I wouldn’t have any cultural ties to the continent.”
Wright’s shocked facial expression and her “Oh, wow” reaction are just the beginning.
“It’s not the same thing,” said Wright. “Because I was born — my ancestors, I can trace them, were brought over here on slave ships, we helped build this country. Don’t try to equate slavery to illegals.”
“He was brought here not by choice,” Goff interrupted, in reference to Vargas.
“Right, but my ancestors didn’t say, ‘Let me jump on the boat, let me die from the journey. Let me get whipped. Come on, Keli. Come on, it’s not the same argument.”
“He has no cultural ties to the country in which he was born,” Goff repeated.
“Don’t equate slavery to illegals deliberately breaking laws to come here,” Wright snapped.
The argument continued, with Goff saying that the undocumented “still have cultural ties to that country” and should be sent back.
“Really, a six-month-old has cultural ties to the country?”
Carol interrupted, and the conversation simmered down.