On Jose Diaz-Balart Reports on Friday morning, the MSNBC host and Telemundo anchor did his part to undermine President Donald Trump's deportation efforts by having on a leftist activist who got to make unchallenged claims that the Trump administration was being "racist" in its deportation policies.
George Escobar from the group CASA (for "Central American Solidarity") even took out of context a quote by Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem calling some Venezuelans "dirtbags" when she was clearly specifying violent criminals.
After a report about the Trump administration ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Haitian immigrants in the U.S., Diaz Balart moved to the issue of TPS being ended for Venezuelans as he set up the next segment: "Meanwhile, to new lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's decision to end TPS for nearly 600,000 Venezuelans, leaving them vulnerable to deportation later this year."
He began by asking Escobar why he is suing over the program. After defending the program, Escobar moved to accusing the Trump administration of racism for moving to end it:
...and it's clearly why they're doing it, right? They're doing it -- they're signaling the racist and ethnic animus in the media, right? They're calling Venezuelans "dirtbags." They're calling -- they're saying immigrants poison the blood of this country. So it's clear that is the major motivating factor behind these decisions. It's not a policy decision.
It's not based on real conditions on the ground. It's based on political theater. And really we're suing to make sure that the U.S. commits to their -- fulfills their commitment -- in this case, for Venezuela -- that had already extended that benefit for another 18 months. And we're suing because this is wrong, and this is contrary to the U.S. Constitution, and obviously there's racial animus and bias behind these decisions.
Diaz-Balart didn't question Escobar on the claims of racism, or his group backing a Maryland bill to "protect residents’ data from law enforcement intrusions amid heightened immigration enforcement" under Trump.
So, George, just trying to get -- focus in on what exactly legally you are basing it on because the decision to reverse TPS is an executive decision, right? As it is an executive decision to grant TPS. And we can, of course, talk about, you know, how TPS has been used for decades in the United States by the executive. What legally are you challenging?
Escobar repeated his claims of racism and specifically singled out a quote by Noem about some immigrants who had committed crimes:
And, number two, we are suing because the -- it's obvious that the intention here was racist. And they've signaled that in the media -- they've signaled that in their agenda -- they've signaled that in every -- every press clipping you can find of the Trump administration. And Secretary (Kristi) Noem herself -- she went on national television really recently, right, and called Venezuelans "dirtbags." Two days later, they withdraw these designations.
This is like the media suggesting when Trump referred to MS-13 gang members as "animals," that he meant immigrants in general. Noem was referring to an immigrant accused of a violent crime who had just been arrested by ICE. In a message sent out on X, she related: "Enforcement operation in NYC. Criminal alien with kidnapping, assault & burglary charges is now in custody. ... Dirtbags like this will continue to be removed from our streets."
Diaz-Balart did not correct his guest as he simply wrapped up the segment.
Transcript follows:
MSNBC's Jose Diaz-Balart Reports
February 21, 2025
11:28 a.m. Eastern
JOSE DIAZ BALART: Meanwhile, to new lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's decision to end TPS for nearly 600,000 Venezuelans, leaving them vulnerable to deportation later this year. Joining us now, George Escobar, the chief of programs and services at CASA, one of the organizations behind one of the lawsuits. CASA receives about 10 percent of their funding, by the way, by the federal government. George, why is CASA suing the Trump administration on this?
GEORGE ESCOBAR, CASA: Thank you so much for having us, Jose. I mean, look, and your reporting made it clear, right? It -- the Trump administration has clearly signaled that they're going to strip as many protections from lawful abiding immigrants in this country as possible, right? Venezuela is just the first shoe to drop. They're the first country that has a TPS designation to be dropped, right? We have to remember who these folks are. These folks went through a background screening. These folks volunteered their information to USCIS -- to the Department of Homeland Security -- because they were confident that this program existed, and they were confident that the government would be true to their word, and they would protect them from deportation and grant them a work permit.
So now we're seeing the Trump administration reverse all these decisions, and it's clearly why they're doing it, right? They're doing it -- they're signaling the racist and ethnic animus in the media, right? They're calling Venezuelans "dirtbags." They're calling -- they're saying immigrants poison the blood of this country. So it's clear that is the major motivating factor behind these decisions. It's not a policy decision. It's not based on real conditions on the ground. It's based on political theater. And really we're suing to make sure that the U.S. commits to their -- fulfills their commitment -- in this case, for Venezuela -- that had already extended that benefit for another 18 months. And we're suing because this is wrong, and this is contrary to the U.S. Constitution, and obviously there's racial animus and bias behind these decisions.
DIAZ-BALART: So -- so, George, just trying to get -- focus in on what exactly legally you are basing it on because the decision to reverse TPS is an executive decision, right? As it is an executive decision to grant TPS. And we can, of course, talk about, you know, how TPS has been used for decades in the United States by the executive. What legally are you challenging?
ESCOBAR: The TPS historically is a humanitarian relief measure, right? It provides an immigration benefit -- which is a work permit for a specific amount of time because conditions in that particular country are so devastating that that country cannot receive those immigrants at that time, right? So what the basis of our lawsuit is that this decision wasn't based on any administrative review of country conditions. It wasn't based on any real world analysis of what is going on in that particular country -- in this case, Venezuela.
And, number two, we are suing because the -- it's obvious that the intention here was racist. And they've signaled that in the media -- they've signaled that in their agenda -- they've signaled that in every -- every press clipping you can find of the Trump administration. And Secretary (Kristi) Noem herself -- she went on national television really recently, right, and called Venezuelans "dirtbags." Two days later, they withdraw these designations. So that's the basis -- that's the legal basis of the -- of the lawsuit in itself. Those two grounds.
DIAZ-BALART: George Escobar, thank you very much for being with us. Really appreciate your time.
