Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on Friday reprimanded former Democratic National Committee (DNC) press secretary Jose Aristimuno for laughing during a discussion about crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
Over 435,000 non-citizens had been convicted of crimes in the U.S. as of July 2024, according to a Wednesday letter from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When MacCallum brought up the issue on “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” Aristimuno blamed former President Donald Trump, which OutKick founder Clay Travis called an exceptionally stupid argument, prompting laughter from the former DNC official.
WATCH:
“Jose, these are awful numbers. I’m sure you don’t want to know some of these 13,000 who have committed murder or 15,000 who have committed sexual assault are in your neighborhood or anywhere near your family,” MacCallum said.
Aristimuno acknowledged “it’s a real problem” before launching into a tirade about Trump’s rhetoric, accusing the former president of “insult[ing] Venezuelan immigrants” and “Haitian immigrants.”
MacCallum said Trump is referring to gangsters and criminals, not all immigrants, but Aristimuno disagreed.
“They want to deport people that look like me simply because you are Latino. [Vice President] Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, the first day that Joe Biden got sworn into office, he put forward an immigration bill and Republicans blocked it,” he said. “What happened with the border bill a couple of months ago? Donald Trump called Speaker Johnson and said, ‘Kill the bill.’ That’s just a reality.”
MacCallum agreed about the bill, but also said presidents can seal the border and executive orders can make an impact.
“Martha, I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Did Jose just say it’s Donald Trump’s fault that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have let in 13,000 known murderers and 16,000 known rapists? With all due respect, this is the dumbest argument ever made in the history of Fox News, at least while I’ve been a guest. Look, the reality is Trump is right,” Travis said, prompting Aristimuno to laugh.
“There’s nothing funny about any of this … There’s nothing funny here,” MacCallum said.
Harris recently rambled for nearly three minutes when she fielded an audience question regarding her plans to address illegal immigration. The vice president discussed her background as attorney general of California and a prosecutor before focusing on Trump’s opposition to the bipartisan border bill, which Harris pledged to sign into law if elected president.
The bill would have appropriated over $700 million to hire more U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents. However, it contained a provision that would have enabled the border to remain open if under 5,000 migrants cross per day.
Featured Image Credit: Photo: Federal Courthouse, Pecos, Tex.
