Over the weekend, there was a stark contrast in the way CNN weekend anchor Jim Acosta slanted his coverage of illegal immigration to the left while his more independent-minded colleague, Michael Smerconish, used his Saturday morning show to actually inform CNN viewers on the issue in a way that one normally only sees on Fox.
On CNN evening, the more liberal Acosta demonstrated that he is still as slanted to the left as ever on illegal border crossings as he subjected Republican Congressman Ralph Norman to a debate over how bad the situation is. Acosta accused his Republican guest of "demonizing immigrants" as he also insisted that calling the border "open" is just "peddled as a talking point" by Republicans.
As Acosta pressed his Republican guest for being reluctant to go along with a budget deal, the South Carolina Republican argued that he wishes to press the Joe Biden administration for more border enforcement. Congressman Norman complained: "The last three and a half years, we've had an invasion. He's opened it up, and guess what -- and I suspected this -- it's for keeping Democrats in office. He's giving -- now, Jim, get this, he's giving Social Security numbers and driver's licenses to illegals."
The CNN host shot back: "Wait a minute, Congressman. Are you saying that -- what are you trying to say? That there's an invasion of migrants in this country and that Democrats are doing this to get elected? Is that what you're saying? That's just not true."
The two further went back and forth:
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: No, it is true. Look it up. He's given Social Security numbers and driver's licenses -- he's done it in New York. What do you call that? What else can you call that? Give me a term for it.
ACOSTA: Sir, that is something that, I mean, it sounds like what you're doing when you say that is demonizing immigrants. When you say that they're coming into this country as part of some invasion to change the political calculus in this country, that's just not the case. There are lots of people who come into this country as immigrants, end up voting Republican. It doesn't add up.
Congressman Norman further argued:
Well, what does make sense is to -- and we're going to have to force -- the public is going to have to force this Biden administration to let the Border Patrol agents do their job to get the wall built -- have designated points of entry. And this administration is just not doing it intentionally. And whether you agree with it or not, they're doing it for power. Why are they giving Social Security numbers and driver's licenses?
Even though there has been a push by Democrats in New York to allow non-citizens to vote, Acosta insisted on getting proof from his Republican guest: "What do you mean by that? Why are you -- you're saying they're intentionally doing what? Where's your evidence of this? Where's your proof of this? It just sounds like you're throwing rhetoric around with no basis in fact."
CNN's Smerconish
September 23, 2023
9:05 a.m. Eastern
MICHAEL SMERCONISH: We speak in terms of apprehensions, right? It makes me wonder, "Well, how many are getting through who aren't apprehended?" Is there any estimate? As bad as the numbers are that I just shared, is the reality even worse? I guess that's my question.
RODNEY SCOTT, FORMER BORDER PATROL CHIEF: The reality is much worse. Thank you so much for keying that up. So right now today, a lot of the people that you see on the video loops you just discussed, those are people who are trying to take advantage of loopholes in the asylum system, but the cartel uses that massive number of people to shape the border every single day. What does that mean? That means overwhelm all the law enforcement so that create gaps to bring in something else. The United States Border Patrol has documented with evidence over 1.6 million known gotaways just since this administration took over. And they report those through court documents and other things, but that's 1.6 (million) that they know about.
But what America needs to understand is the Border Patrol reacting to these huge groups, that forces them to leave hundreds and hundreds of miles of border completely wide open. And when the border wall system was terminated, so was the technology that was going in with that -- the cameras and the censor systems. So there's literally no eyes and ears on a significant part of the U.S. border with Mexico and with Canada for that matter when agents are not out there. And right now, agents are not out there. They're busy processing.
SMERCONISH: Chief, I hate to see this as such a partisan issue. I could only imagine when I go to my social media what people are going to be saying, "Oh, what, are you on Fox? Why are you spending your opening segment talking about this?" But I'm alarmed by the numbers indicative of a porous border. Speak to me about solutions.
SCOTT: So the solution really is -- and thank you for bringing that up, too -- I've worked for different administrations going back to 1992 -- and the thing at the end of the day is there has to be a consequence. There has to be some kind of law and order for laws to mean anything. We are constantly working on that. So not all solutions are perfect -- not everybody likes them, but you need to put the judicial process in the right order. People should not get released into the United States until a judge has adjudicated their case. The "remain in Mexico" program did that.
When this administration came in and they turned over that policy on day one, they created a system -- or they re-created a system called "catch and release." And there's really no enforcement that you could do on the border that's going to overwhelm that because what happens, when they meet a Border Patrol agent, the chances of that individual getting released into the United States is very, very high. Their court date is years down the road, and they're never going to be seen again. That incentive is what is creating this massive wave.
(...)
CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta
September 24, 2023
7:08 p.m. Eastern
CONGRESSMAN RALPH NORMAN (R-SC): We're on tap to have 15 million illegals in this country. As we see -- how's that working out in New York? It's not. And so we're tying the border security now to Homeland Security, and we're going to do that on every appropriations bill to get a number, and we'll see where it goes. Everybody listening to this show ought to call the Senator because that's who they're going to put it back on. And thank God finally Schumer is getting booed -- AOC is getting booed. The American public knows what's going on.
JIM ACOSTA: But are you prepared to take responsibility for this? Because, you know, we were talking to John Bolton -- the former national security advisor -- in a previous hour on this program who said, typically, when the government gets shut down, Republicans get blamed for it. Isn't that what's going to happen this time around? And are you prepared to shoulder that blame?
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: Look, this isn't about blame. This is about doing what's right for the country, and we're trying to do that. This isn't business as usual. And, you know, the fact that Americans live paycheck to paycheck because of this Bidenomics -- you know the one family it's working for? Joe Biden and his family. No one else it's working for. And the 330 (million) Americans don't deserve it. And all we're saying is, let's live like every business and every family does. Look at your spending and try to agree on it, and know that this will be the Senate's responsibility, and the Democrats who have caused this crisis. And it shouldn't be at this point in the history of this country.
ACOSTA: But how can you accuse Democrats of causing this crisis when you're the ones who are going to shut down the government? You're saying you're going to do it -- that's you.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: The last three and a half years, we've had an invasion. He's opened it up, and guess what -- and I suspected this -- it's for keeping Democrats in office. He's giving -- now, Jim, get this, he's giving Social Security numbers and driver's licenses to illegals.
ACOSTA (interrupting): Wait a minute, Congressman. Are you saying that -- what are you trying to say? That there's an invasion of migrants in this country and that Democrats are doing this to get elected? Is that what you're saying? That's just not true.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: No, it is true. Look it up. He's given Social Security numbers and driver's licenses -- he's done it in New York. What do you call that? What else can you call that? Give me a term for it.
ACOSTA: Sir, that is something that, I mean, it sounds like what you're doing when you say that is demonizing immigrants. When you say that they're coming into this country as part of some invasion to change the political calculus in this country, that's just not the case. There are lots of people who come into this country as immigrants, end up voting Republican. It doesn't add up.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: They come into this country legally. They come into this country. You can term it however you want -- they come into it legally. Never before have we opened up our borders to every country all across the globe, and we're going to stop it one way or another.
ACOSTA: But how are you going to lock down the border? How are you going to have better border protection if you shut down the government? I guess I don't understand that. That doesn't make any sense.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: Well, what does make sense is to -- and we're going to have to force -- the public is going to have to force this Biden administration to let the Border Patrol agents do their job to get the wall built -- have designated points of entry. And this administration is just not doing it intentionally. And whether you agree with it or not, they're doing it for power. Why are they giving Social Security numbers and driver's licenses?
ACOSTA: What do you mean by that? Why are you -- you're saying they're intentionally doing what? Where's your evidence of this? Where's your proof of this? It just sounds like you're throwing rhetoric around with no basis in fact.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: You can -- have you been to the border?
ACOSTA: Of course I have.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: Have you seen what's going on, the rapes? It's open. I mean, nobody can deny that.
ACOSTA: The border is --
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: And they've got it -- it's a crisis. Where?
ACOSTA: I'll ask the questions, sir. And the border is not open. That is -- that is something that is peddled as a talking point, but it's not true. There are fences -- there are walls. There are Border Patrol agents who work on the border.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: The five plus million that have gotten into this country illegally is not a figment of our imagination. Ask the Border Patrol agents. Ask anybody down there -- they're frustrated.
ACOSTA: But I guess I haven't -- you've not been able to answer my question as to how you effectively do border enforcement if you're shutting down the government. I guess -- but I guess we're not going to get an answer to that question. Right? I mean, if you shut down the government, Saturday rolls around -- you're going to have Border Patrol agents that are going to be without pay. How are they going to want to go out there and do border patrol enforcement if they're not getting paid. It sounds like an ineffective way of running ... (inaudible)
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: What's ineffective is this President doing what he's doing to America, and it shouldn't happen.
ACOSTA: Your own Speaker says you want to burn the whole place down.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: I disagree with that. He's -- he's -- we should have, again, I'm not going to repeat it. You can say all you want, "The border is closed," and "The border is an orderly -- people are being processed." They're not. It's a -- he's created -- he has created a national security problem. When you have pilots telling me that, you know, as I was down there, the pilots -- the people were ... (inaudible)
ACOSTA: You were a member of Congress when Donald Trump said he was going to build a wall down on the border, and it didn't happen. He said Mexico was going to pay for it, and it didn't happen.
CONGRESSMAN NORMAN: No, Jim, look, those are your talking points. He did build the wall. He couldn't finish it because Joe Biden stopped it when he unfortunately went into office, and steel is laying on the ground -- paying subcontractors. And so it's a national problem -- security problem. You're, you know, CNN should report what's going on.
ACOSTA: We are down there at the border all the time reporting on what's taking place. We're doing it every day. Congressman, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate. We'll be right back.