CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings visibly irked his fellow panelists Monday as he defended the identifications and mass deportations of illegal criminal gang members.
The media has suggested that President Donald Trump may have unintentionally deported innocent people who have body art and insignia that include symbols associated with Tren de Agua, a violent Venezuelan criminal gang. Jennings angered the CNN panelists as he argued that terrorists committing heinous acts of violence in the U.S. do not deserve the same level of due process as American citizens.
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“I delineate between American citizens and everyone else. If you’re a U.S. citizen, I put you in a different category,” Jennings said. “And if you’ve come here and broken our laws and committed violent acts and raped and murdered and whatever, I put you in a different category.”
“When it comes to the law and due process, that is not a distinction,” CNN host Abby Phillip interrupted.
“Well, if you’d like to argue that Tren de Agua should have the same rights that you get as an American citizen, go ahead,” Jennings said, leading the other panelists to say it is unconstitutional to treat people differently based on citizenship status. “So you’re saying that a terrorist could walk across the border and become, effectively, a U.S. citizen?”
Phillip continued to lecture Jennings on how the government has to prove that an individual is a member of Tren de Agua before carrying out deportations. Jennings went on to praise the Trump administration for effectively detaining and deporting violent gang members who have committed atrocious acts on U.S. soil.
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“Scott, look at me, okay? Because you and I are talking,” Phillip said. “What I’m saying to you is that the law does not make a distinction between U.S. citizens and everybody else when it comes to crimes. Are you saying that that should not be in place? That if you happen to not be a citizen, you get to be thrown into a jail with no process at all?”
“I’m saying these people are effectively terrorists, they walked across our border illegally, they are violent and I don’t really want them here … I think, eventually, the government will have to show all of its cards on everybody they have detained, deported or done anything to in this area,” Jennings said. “But there is no doubt that the Trump administration is [effectively] rounding up terrorists who came across here illegally, committed heinous acts and do not need to be in this country.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published a document called “The Alien Enemies Validation Guide,” which they believe is used by the Trump administration to identify Tren de Agua members. The document requires an individual to receive at least 8 points to be identified as an associate of the gang, which includes the display of distinctive tattoos such as stars and text reading, “Real Hasta la Muerte,” meaning “Till death.”
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The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport over 200 members of Tren de Agua to El Salvador and Honduras without the requirement of appearing before an immigration judge. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, an Obama-era appointee, blocked Trump’s deportations of the criminal gang members in a March 15 ruling after the flights were already in mid-air, leading to a legal battle on whether the deportations were legally carried out.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that 17 violent criminals from Tren de Agua and MS-13 were transferred to El Salvador in a “successful counter-terrorism operation” on Sunday.
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
