During Monday evening’s World News Tonight, ABC let it be known that they are distressed by the increase in sweeps being conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Donald Trump. “There are new images coming in this evening of the sweeps, undocumented immigrants detained facing deportation now,” announced anchor David Muir as he touted the efforts of “Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer demanding answers about this nationwide sweep.”
The images Muir was hyping up were narrated by reporter Mary Bruce, who painted a bleak picture of ICE operations. “This scene in the middle of the night in Los Angeles. Federal agents waiting in this parking lot. Guns at the ready. Cuffing this undocumented immigrant and hauling him off,” she said.
“The question tonight: Is this business as usual? Or a new normal,” she ominously asked, “The raids taking place across the country from Los Angeles to Atlanta and Chicago. Leading protesters today to fill the streets in Milwaukee. Fear after the president's new sweeping order.”
“680 undocumented immigrants arrested last week. Most convicted criminals, but not all,” Bruce whined. She pointed to the case of Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos as an example of a none-criminal being arrested unfairly. But Bruce sinks her own argument by reporting that de Rayos is a convicted felon: “She came from Mexico as a teenager and used a fake social security number to get work, leading to a felony conviction.”
Last week, de Rayos was dubbed Trump’s ‘first victim’ of deportation by the liberal networks.
According to Bruce, ICE says the sweeps and deportations “are routine” and were planned under former President Barack Obama. But she quickly discredited their claim by declaring “Some lawmakers aren't buying it.” “This is not a national security issue. This feels more like a huge shift in policy to get to ‘I want to deport 11 million people’ and we're going to do everything in our power to stop that,” New Mexico Democratic Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grishman explained to Bruce.
Towards the end of her report, Bruce tugged on their viewer's heartstrings:
MARY BRUCE: But tonight, for many families, confusion, and a question. Are they safe?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: We're all heartbroken, and we still cannot believe that this is happening.
In closing out the segment, Bruce and Muir seemed encouraged by the fact that the director of ICE would be grilled by Hispanic lawmakers on Tuesday.
Bruce did try to whine about the deportations that occurred under Obama. She noted that he had the moniker ‘deporter-in-chief’ since he was reported to have kicked two million people out of the country. But where was this concern from the network for the last eight years? Only after Trump started deporting people did they show this level of outrage.
Transcript below:
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ABC
World News Tonight
February 13, 2017
6:41:34 PM EasternDAVID MUIR: There are new images coming in this evening of the sweeps, undocumented immigrants detained facing deportation now. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer demanding answers about this nationwide sweep, while in Milwaukee today, look at this. Thousands protesting the local sheriff's plan to train his deputies to act as immigration agents. ABC's Mary Bruce with the pictures tonight.
[Cuts to video]
MARY BRUCE: This scene in the middle of the night in Los Angeles. Federal agents waiting in this parking lot. Guns at the ready. Cuffing this undocumented immigrant and hauling him off. The question tonight: Is this business as usual? Or a new normal? The raids taking place across the country from Los Angeles to Atlanta and Chicago. Leading protesters today to fill the streets in Milwaukee. Fear after the president's new sweeping order.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: A lot of panicked families, a lot of just shivers of fear.
BRUCE: 680 undocumented immigrants arrested last week. Most convicted criminals, but not all. President Trump says he's keeping his word. The president tweeting, "The crackdown on illegal criminals is merely the keeping of my campaign promise. Gang members, drug dealers & others are being removed!"
But the family of Phoenix mother Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos disagrees. She came from Mexico as a teenager and used a fake social security number to get work, leading to a felony conviction. But she was allowed to stay, until now. When she was arrested Thursday at a regular immigration check-in.
JACQUELYN DE RAYOS: My mom's a really kind person. She would never hurt anyone.
BRUCE: Federal agents insist these deportations are routine. And that the surge was planned before Trump took office. Some lawmakers aren't buying it.
MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM: This is not a national security issue. This feels more like a huge shift in policy to get to "I want to deport 11 million people" and we're going to do everything in our power to stop that.
BRUCE: But President Obama dubbed the "deporter-in-chief" for kicking out more than 2 million undocumented immigrants over 8 years. Something Trump even praised.
DONALD TRUMP: Obama got tremendous numbers of people out of the country. Well, I'm going to do the same thing.
BRUCE: But tonight, for many families, confusion, and a question. Are they safe?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: We're all heartbroken, and we still cannot believe that this is happening.
[Cuts back to live]
MUIR: And Mary Bruce with us live from Capitol Hill tonight, and tonight, Mary, some lawmakers are asking to be briefed by the Trump administration about exactly who is being targeted in these sweeps?
BRUCE: The acting director of ICE will be here tomorrow. He’ll be meeting with Hispanic lawmakers who are eager to learn more details, David.
MUIR: Mary Bruce at Capitol Hill tonight. Mary, thank you as always.
