On Tuesday morning, MSNBC anchor Ana Cabrera and contributor Paola Ramos covered the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots by insisting the riots are justifiable because of “American empathy.” The toxic word choice from Cabrera and Ramos only covers up the left-wing agenda of not arresting illegals who do not belong in the United States rather than supporting US citizens.
When Cabrera asked Ramos to describe the intentions behind the riots, she portrayed the White House as the instigator, claiming it “has been clear that they want this big display in LA” and “wants this fight.” What is crystal clear to the White House is the protection for the country, citizens, and federal property, not a show.
Ramos followed by going on rant accusing President Trump of “dehumanizing” people:
But I think the other story to me is that what we are seeing, not just in LA but across the country, is perhaps one of Trumpism’s biggest threats, and that is that there is a growing number of Americans that are slowly starting to humanize that Donald Trump has spent years dehumanizing…Knowing that is the way these images show, the way that Trump is really, really, really stretching his powers and using immigrants as a way to really slide this country into some type of authoritarianism that is making people feel uncomfortable.
Did Ramos mean riots full of explosions, fires, and disorder are a way to “humanize”? This is not the only time misleading words were used to cover up the agenda being pushed in the segment. Cabrera pointed out that what Ramos described was “American empathy.”
It is not compassionate to allow illegal immigrants to live in a country that is not theirs and have the same opportunities without doing the right process to become a US citizen. It is not civilized to have riots over unauthorized entries and violations by people who are not US citizens.
Cabrera then played a clip of Los Angeles Mayor Bass expressed in a recent press conference where she declared, “I can't emphasize enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now, not knowing if tomorrow or tonight it might be where they live. It might be their workplace. Should you send your kids to school? Should you go to work?…Stop the raids. Period.”
Where is the encouragement to stop the riots in her own city?
Cabrera used Bass’s comments to lead into a question for Ramos regarding if the illegal immigrants alarm was being “overshadowed” by the riots. Ramos responded stating:
And so I think we can't underestimate, you know, Americans in compassion and empathy. It comes out, I think that was the question that I had. Now, will this country that voted for Donald Trump twice and that voted for mass deportations, will we feel that empathy again? And the answer is yes. No. It comes out, and it comes out perhaps at the darkest times. But the empathy is there. And once you feel it, I think it's hard to look away.
Yes, Paola, it is hard to look away at the TV about the riots in Los Angeles, but the riots prove anything but “empathy” and “compassion.” Let this segment play a significant role on how toxic word choice can be misleading and lead viewers astray from the facts.
Click here for the transcript:
MSNBC’s Ana Cabrera Reports
6/10/25
10:09 a.m. Eastern
ANA CABRERA: Paola, the White House has been clear that they want this big display in LA. The White House wants this fight, we are told, but I know you feel it could actually be a tipping point in the other direction. Explain.PAOLA RAMOS: Yeah. Look, I think there's two stories here. Now, one is the images that we're seeing, which is a show of force. But I think the other story to me is that what we are seeing, not just in LA but across the country, is perhaps one of Trumpism's biggest threats, and that is that there is a growing number of Americans that are slowly starting to humanize the very humans that Donald Trump has spent years dehumanizing. And so I think we've seen these sort of collective moral breaking points in the past.
When in 2012, Americans were able to humanize Dreamers, in 2018, people, mothers in the Midwest felt something when they saw families being separated at the border. And now we're reaching that moment where Americans, after seeing all of these ICE raids and the images and the viral videos, they're starting to see all of these people that are being detained, not as criminals, as Donald Trump wants us to see, but as parents, as mothers, as their neighbors. And that is inspiring something. I think the question is, will this sort of moral, collective breaking point stay, or will people sort of let go of that moral outrage at some point? I think the difference now, Ana, is that through immigrants, a lot of ordinary Americans, perhaps even independents, are starting to see the bigger threat. Knowing that is the way what these images show, the way that Trump is really, really, really stretching his powers and using immigrants as a way to really slide this country into some type of authoritarianism that is making people feel uncomfortable. So I do think that perhaps this breaking point may be here to stay.
CABRERA: On your point about, sort of, this American empathy and, you know, Americans identifying with connecting with people who are being detained that are their neighbors or a friend. I want to highlight what Mayor Bass said yesterday about the root cause of all this when it comes to these immigration raids
MAYOR KAREN BASS: I can't emphasize enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now, not knowing if tomorrow or tonight it might be where they live. It might be their workplace. Should you send your kids to school? Should you go to work? (Transition) Last Thursday, there was nothing happening in this town that called for the raids that took place on Friday. (Transition) I would say stop the raids. Stop the raids. Period. I would say give the power back to our governor.CABRERA: Paola, do you think the human aspect of this, the fear has been overshadowed now by this image of chaos in the streets?
RAMOS: No, I don't think so. I think that Trump is counting on Americans to be cruel, not to not feel anything. I think what you're starting to see is the complete opposite and in small ways. Now why? Because now we're talking about third, fourth, fifth generation Latinos that are seeing their own parents, sort of, being deported and being detained. No, we're talking about Americans that for the last 30 years and have spent living their lives next to undocumented immigrants that are no longer just immigrants, but are their neighbors. And so I think we can't underestimate, you know, Americans in compassion and empathy. It comes out I think that was the question that I had. Now, will this country that voted for Donald Trump twice and that voted for mass deportations, will we feel that empathy again? And the answer is yes. No. It comes out and it comes out perhaps at the darkest times. But the empathy is there. And once you feel it, I think it's hard to look away.
