Saturday's CBS Weekend News filed a report in which correspondent Paula Reid fretted that some of the illegal immigrants rounded up for deportation had only been convicted of drunk driving, even though such activity is dangerous criminal behavior that claims the lives of thousands of Americans each year.
And, even though the report ran a soundbite of President Donald Trump vowing to deport "drug dealers" and "criminal aliens," Reid seemed to think that deporting nonviolent offenders like drunk drivers was somehow contradicting this promise as she complained that arrests were "raising concerns."
After recalling that Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly had described 75 percent of the illegals arrested as having been "convicted of crimes," Reid referred to a Washington Post report as she worried:
But new data obtained by the Washington Post shows that nearly half of the immigrants picked up in those raids either "had no criminal convictions or had committed traffic offenses," including drunk driving, raising concerns about whether the President is only targeting violent criminals.
The CBS correspondent did not inform viewers that, according to the Post, 90 percent of those convicted of traffic offenses were drunk drivers, and therefore were criminal offenders. The Post found that, out of 675 arrests, "177 had no criminal convictions at all, though 66 had charges pending," which is consistent with the aforementioned Homeland Security Department statement.
Buried at the end of the report, Reid tacitly admitted that President Trump has succeeded in cutting illegal border crossings by 72 percent since he came into office: "The administration may soon have fewer names to add to that database. Illegal border crossings are down 72 percent since the President took office 100 days ago."
Below is a complete transcript of the report from the Saturday, April 29, CBS Weekend News:
REENA NINAN: Tonight, we're learning more about who has been rounded up in immigration raids under the Trump administration. Here's Justice reporter Paula Reid.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: As we speak today, immigration officers are finding the gang members, the drug dealers, and the criminal aliens, and throwing them the hell out of our country.
PAULA REID: Federal immigration agents went to homes, parking lots, and even ally ways in February to arrest more than 680 people believed to be in the country illegally. In a statement following the raids, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said approximately 75 percent of those arrested were convicted of crimes. But new data obtained by the Washington Post shows that nearly half of the immigrants picked up in those raids either "had no criminal convictions or had committed traffic offenses," including drunk driving, raising concerns about whether the President is only targeting violent criminals.
The administration is also facing problems with its new public database of illegal immigrants in detention. Secretary Kelly launched the online website Wednesday as part of a larger effort to help victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. But the system mistakenly included information about undocumented children as young as three. DHS says it has fixed the problem, but, in addition to that glitch, people were also calling the site's victim hotline to report space aliens. Reena, the administration may soon have fewer names to add to that database. Illegal border crossings are down 72 percent since the President took office 100 days ago.
