Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Vivek Ramaswamy Says Black Chicago Residents Are ‘Pro-Border Wall And Pro-Military On The Border’

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that black Chicago residents were very supportive of border security efforts and that it was “a real opportunity” to show America first was for all Americans.

Almost 1.79 million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border during fiscal year 2023, according to data released by United States Customs and Border Protection, following 2,378,944 encounters in fiscal year 2022 and 1,734,686 in fiscal year 2021, while Fox News reported another 600,000 migrants evaded CBP in fiscal year 2022. Daily Caller News Foundation investigative reporter Jennie Taer said during a Thursday appearance on Newsmax that word of mouth from migrants entering the United States was encouraging other illegal immigrants to come.

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“I visited the south side of Chicago just a couple of months ago. I also went to Kensington in the middle of Philadelphia,” Ramaswamy told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “I will tell you, Laura, it is not what you expect. I have never been in a room, perhaps more ardently pro-border wall and pro-military on the border than the group of a predominantly black audience on the south side of Chicago because they are turning a local high school, South Shore High School into encampment for migrants who are getting treated better than people in that community.”

Residents protested and took legal action to prevent Chicago from housing migrants in a closed-down high school and two other locations on the South Side of the city in May, ABC7Chicago.com reported.

“I think this is a real opportunity for us to say the America first movement stands for yes, all Americans,” Ramaswamy said. “And if we stand on that principle to say that we will put the interest of the citizens of this nation first, regardless urban or suburban, black or white, we stand for the interest of our citizens over those reporting into Zelenskyy or whoever, halfway around the world. I think that’s actually a very powerful message that transcends partisan boundaries and if I’m the nominee, Laura, as I expect and hope to be, we will bring along voters of diverse shades of melanin in droves and win this election in a landslide.”