CNN’s Poppy Harlow called the border issue a “crisis … beyond” what was seen under the Trump administration during a televised discussion Monday.
CNN’s political commentator Jamal Simmons called Trump’s recent speech – in which he said illegal migrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” – “racist” and “fascist.”
Simmons said Michigan is “overrun” with Canadians, but that no one ever complains about those people and that Trump’s comments were directed toward migrants coming over the southern border. Strategic communications expert Lee Carter then jumped in to say Trump was clearly talking about migrants coming in from around the world and not just the southern border.
Carter then said she understands concerns “about the rhetoric,” but that criticizing it needs to be done carefully or else there is a risk of Trump voters feeling like they are personally being called “racist” or “fascist.” (RELATED: White House Reporter Grows Visibly Frustrated By Karine’s Dodges On The Border Crisis)
Harlow then jumped in to ask Simmons how the White House should carefully thread the needle that Carter referred to, noting the White House has acknowledged a crisis at the southern border.
“How does the White House appropriately or most effectively thread the needle while … also acknowledging what is a crisis at the southern border; you cannot deny the numbers that are far beyond any point in the Trump administration and say, ‘here’s what we’re gonna do about it,'” Harlow said.
Simmons argued Democrats have been pushing for bipartisan immigration reform and said more technology was needed to secure the border.
The Biden administration has signaled that it is open to bringing back several Trump-era migrant expulsion policies to get Republican support for Ukraine aid, CBS News reported. The plans would include expelling migrants without screening them for asylum and increasing deportations and detentions. Several Democrats have spoken out against the plan, while Speaker of the House Mike Johnson reiterated Republicans’ stance that they will only support Ukraine aid if there is funding for border security.