Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Watch As Scott Jennings Triggers CNN Panel By Calling Illegal Aliens ‘Criminal’

[Screenshot/CNN]

CNN panelists had a heated exchange on Monday as senior political commentator Scott Jennings pointed out that all illegal immigrants have broken U.S. laws.

CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro claimed that President Donald Trump’s crackdown in Washington, D.C. appears to be about “immigration enforcement” rather than crime. Jennings said they are “one and the same” since entering the U.S. illegally makes someone a “criminal.”

“Aren’t they one and the same? If you’re in the country illegally, you’re a criminal,” Jennings said. “If you’re breaking immigration law, why shouldn’t you be deported?”

Garcia-Navarro then falsely accused Jennings of saying that all illegal immigrants have committed heinous acts such as murder. She then said that Jennings’ conflation between illegal immigration and crime is “disingenuous,” even though entering the U.S. without the proper documentation is a violation of U.S. immigration law.

More than half of the illegal immigrants arrested in the Washington area have no prior criminal convictions or pending charges, NBC 4 Washington reported, citing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data.

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Democratic strategist Adrienne Elrod claimed Trump’s federal takeover of Washington has not been “received well” in communities across the nation’s capital. Jennings disputed her claim, arguing that most people in the nation’s capital are pleased by the increased police and National Guard presence.

The federal takeover has led to 1,669 arrests and 168 illegal firearm confiscations, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed on Tuesday. On Monday night, police arrested 70 individuals and confiscated three guns.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has arrested members of MS-13 and Tren de Agua as a result of Trump’s crackdown.

Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Wednesday that she is grateful for Trump’s crackdown on the city’s streets after initially condemning the move and calling for statehood.