While filling in for the host of All In With Chris Hayes on Thursday night, MSNBC's Joy-Ann Reid clashed with Steve Cortes, a supporter of Donald Trump, asking her Latino guest not to use the word “illegals” because he was “offending or disturbing or offending lots of people who are listening.”
The liberal channel's national correspondent was surprised when Cortes refused to grant her request “because words matter” and “if you do something against the law, it's illegal.”
The contentious discussion began when the Trump supporter stated that the GOP presidential candidate “very seriously considered” the advice of Latino Republicans, “and then he made his decisions on immigration.”
“I think this is important, too, though: When it comes to the bedrock principles, I don't disagree with him at all, and those are twofold: Number one, we have to secure our border. Our southern border has not be secured for decades.”
“Number two: There can be no citizenship for illegals,” the guest added. “You can not reward criminality with citizenship, and that is a stark difference with Hillary Clinton.”
"I'm going to stop you right there,” Reid interrupted. “You are Hispanic, Steve. Are you comfortable with that term 'illegals?' That is a pejorative to a lot of people. Why do you use that term?”
"You know why, Joy; because words matter," Cortes replied.
"Yeah, they do," Reid snarled.
Cortes then stated:
If you do something that is against the law, it's illegal. If you go into a store and you shoplift, you're not an undocumented holder of a good, you're a thief.
If you come to the United States against the immigration laws, you're not undocumented, you're illegal.
Attempting to discredit his argument, Reid asked: “Do you consider a child who was brought into this country, the people who were eligible for DACA (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals law) and who were children when they came here, you would label that person essentially the equivalent of a shoplifter or thief?”
“No,” Cortes responded, “because they had no choice in the matter.”
“That's what you said,” Reid asserted.
“No, I did not, I did not say that at all,” the guest countered. “A shoplifter has a choice. An illegal alien has a choice. A child did not have a choice.”
“I think it's fascinating that you as a person of color would use that term,” the host noted before charging that Trump uses “conservative Hispanics as props.”
“They essentially said they felt used, that they went and sat in front of Donald Trump; he told them one thing, and then he went out last night and did something completely different,” Reid asserted.
In another attempt to elicit a negative comment, the host quoted Cortes as saying: "You said that you didn't agree with all the things he said last night. Point out two or three of the things that you did not like.”
"Joy, listen,” Cortes replied. “I would have a softer tone on illegals.”
“Can you do me a favor?” Reid then asked. “Steve, just while you're talking to me, can you not use that terminology?"
The host was amazed when Cortes replied: "No, I will not do you that favor because the English language matters. It matters that we use” terms reflecting the fact “that they're illegal, that they're here illegally. We can't get over that.”
“My parents came here into this country as immigrants, too, Steve," Reid said. "My parents came here too, so congratulations on that."
“Millions of Hispanics came here legally,” the guest noted. “My father came here legally, so no, I'm not going to agree to your terms and use code words. That's absurd.”
:You just used a code word,” Reid responded before asking one last question to see if Cortes “could answer it without offending or disturbing or offending lots of people who are listening.”
“Why is it that Donald Trump, if he feels so strongly about Mexico building this wall,” she inquired, “didn't have the guts to say that to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's face?”
Cortes responded:
I think the idea that Donald Trump is scared of confronting anyone is pretty absurd. He is not scared of anyone or anything, but what I think he did do is show incredible statesmanship.
He acted extremely presidential and he showed great decorum. You don't go down there to Mexico City and lecture them in your very first meeting.
Reid concluded the interview by angrily stating: “You just do it when you're in front of your crowd.”
Obviously, Reid subscribes to the myth that all Hispanics must be liberals and those with a different political philosophy should be properly “educated” or hammered into leaving the GOP and joining the Democratic Party ... before the November 8 election, of course.
