A video clip of a heated exchange on left-leaning news network CNN has resurfaced and is keeping the fires burning bright in the debate over immigration enforcement. In the video, a CNN anchor stated that raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are inherently controversial, but conservative commentator Ben Ferguson pushed back against the claim.
“ICE raids are controversial, always have been, always will be,” Abby Phillip said during the panel conversation. Ferguson immediately interjected and argued that similar enforcement actions didn’t raise the kind of resistance seen today during Democratic presidential administrations, particularly the Obama era. “Not really,” the commentator said. “When Obama was doing them it wasn’t controversial. You guys did ride-alongs.”
As the video made the rounds on social media, many conservatives accused mainstream media outlets like CNN of having double standards when it comes to immigration enforcement depending on whether a Democrat or Republican was president. Others defended Phillip and CNN’s framing of the issue as being representative of the public’s opposition to ICE and its operations.
According to a report from Fox News, it didn’t take long for folks on social media who saw the clip to unearth a number of videos showcasing how different the coverage of ICE was when former President Barack Obama was in office, compared to how they have covered the agency under President Donald Trump’s leadership. One segment being shared originally aired on May 31, 2016 and featured Pamela Brown embedded with ICE agents in Chicago as they arrested illegal alien felons.
“Just before the sun rises in the Windy City, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fan out across Chicago to arrest criminals in the U.S. illegally. CNN was granted exclusive access to witness some of those raids,” Brown said to viewers to start the segment, titled, “A day with ICE in the ‘Sanctuary City’ of Chicago.” An agent in the background can be heard telling his colleagues that they had “three targets” in areas that he referred to as a “little sketchy.”
Brown then noted that the operation started at 3 a.m. in order to capture the targets before they headed off to work. An ICE agent told the reporter that his blood pressure and adrenaline go up when “you’re getting ready to do something like this.” Viewers were then told that ICE agents need to be covert when pulling off a raid, just before the cameras captured the agents arresting the wrong man.
“This may look organized, but in this moment, confusion. ICE agents mistakenly arrest the target’s brother,” Brown said during the segment. The intended target was eventually arrested. A graphic pops up on the screen and shows that ICE agents disagreed with Cook County sanctuary city laws that prohibited local law enforcement officers and federal officials from working together.
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“ICE says the county ordinance creates a danger to the community by releasing undocumented criminals back onto the streets,” CNN said. The segment then follows ICE through several more arrests. Social media users noted that not a single word of criticism was offered during the coverage, lending credence to the claim that the media treats immigration enforcement differently depending on who occupies the White House.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video