Fox News host Martha MacCallum sparred with Democratic South Carolina state Sen. Dick Harpootlian Thursday after he accused her of using “bumper sticker” immigration rhetoric.
Harpootlian attempted to defend the border crisis occurring during President Joe Biden’s term by arguing “political refugees” are flooding the U.S.-Mexico border, while saying the president is taking action to mitigate the surge in apprehensions. MacCallum called on Biden to answer for the rise in cases of alleged rape and murder at the hands of illegal immigrants under his leadership.
“Well, nobody’s used to having 7 million people flood the southern border. I mean, we’ve always had immigration in this country. We’ve never had anything like we have right now. Nothing like this,” MacCallum said.
“This is much more complicated than a phrase — than a catchphrase, or a bumper sticker. Donald Trump —” Harpootlian responded.
“I don’t think these people who lost their children are gonna feel like this is a catchphrase or a bumper sticker, sir,” MacCallum shot back.
Martha MacCallum, Democrat state senator spar after he accused her of using “bumper sticker” immigration rhetoric pic.twitter.com/r7Ige4NXy6
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 27, 2024
“Well, what you just said is sort of a catchphrase or a bumper sticker,” he said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but go ahead,” MacCallum said.
Harpootlian argued the debate in Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday night will be a “blood sport” for the audience’s entertainment rather than about the issues facing their country. MacCallum expressed hope the debate will provide insightful answers on how to deal with the issues facing the U.S., including immigration. (RELATED: ‘No One’s Been Worse Than Him’: Brian Kilmeade Pushes Wes Moore To Condemn Joe Biden’s Border Policy)
Immigration has become a top issue for voters for several months ahead of the 2024 election, with 27% naming it as their key issue in April, according to Gallup. Voters’ concern about immigration comes as apprehensions have soared to record-high numbers at the southern border since Biden took office in January 2021.
A rise of brutal crimes have also sounded the alarm of voters and citizens across the U.S. The funeral of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl allegedly raped and murdered by two illegal migrants from Venezuela, was held in Houston, Texas, Thursday afternoon a week after authorities discovered her lifeless body dumped in a creek.
A Venezuelan migrant named Jose Antonio Ibarra has been charged with murdering 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley at the University of Georgia’s (UGA) campus. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released him into the U.S. for “further processing” after he was arrested Sept. 8 for illegally entering the country, according to an agency statement. He later got arrested by New York City officials and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 years old. He allegedly caused “bodily harm” to Riley by “seriously disfiguring her body” and skull, according to an affidavit, Channel 2 News reported.
Salvadorian migrant Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez allegedly raped and murdered 37-year-old Rachel Morin, a mother of five found dead on a hiking trail in Maryland.
Ecuadorian migrant Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi is facing multiple charges, including rape and kidnapping, for allegedly tying up two 13-year-olds with a shoelace in a park, where he allegedly proceeded to rape the girl. He allegedly confessed to recording the incident, according to a video presented by the prosecution at a June 19 hearing in Queens, New York, the New York Post reported.
