A day after opining that the policy of separating illegal immigrants from their children is making the “Statue of Liberty weep,” CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King badgered a Mexican American to be easier on illegals. King talked to Frank, a man who lives in Texas and works in construction.
He told the journalist: “I don't mean to sound insensitive, but we can't just open up the borders. A lot of times, we lose our jobs because a lot of these people coming in, they are willing to do the job for a portion of the pay. And so we're left out.” King shot back: “This is bigger, though, than opening up the borderers. This is about children being separated from their parents. What do you say to that?”
King explained that Frank came to the U.S. illegally and tried to call him a hypocrite. “Doesn’t that seem like a contradiction,” she pressed. Frank explained that he had a new perspective: “Now that I'm here, I can see the point of view of the people that live here.”
King continued to spar with the Mexican American:
FRANK: But my opinion is we can't just open up the borders.
GAYLE KING: What's the solution?
FRANK: Oh, my gosh. I don't know.
KING: As an immigrant yourself!
FRANK: Work with the governments, with the countries where they're from, and try and get them jobs out there.
KING: But you came here seeking a better life.
She also offered leading questions:
KING: And most of the people coming here are not — they are law-abiding citizens. Would you agree with that?
FRANK: Most of them are, yes. Most of them are, but not all of them.
On Monday, King told viewers that “the Statue of Liberty” weeps at the “child abuse” seen at the border.
A transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS This Morning
6/19/18
7:07GAYLE KING: Wrenching, disturbing, there are many adjectives we could use here. The photos we showed yesterday of undocumented immigrants inside a Rio Grande valley detention facility are drawing intense reactions. Our David Begnaud was part of a select group of journalists allowed inside. He described what he saw as people in cages. The border patrol didn't like that. They told us it was uncomfortable with that characterization, but they did not say it was inaccurate. For the first time, though, we may be hearing from children separated from their parents. Investigative website Pro Publica obtained a nearly eight-minute recording that it claims reveals children crying out inside a detention facility.
...
7:17:14 to 7:18:42
GAYLE KING: We wanted to hear how people living along the southern border view the crackdown on illegal immigration. We spoke with one man who told us his name was Frank here in McAllen. He told us that he left Mexico when he was seven. He came here on a visa and became a U.S. citizen at 18. Frank is now 49, has children, and is in the construction business.
FRANK: I don't mean to sound insensitive, but we can't just open up the borders. A lot of times, we lose our jobs because a lot of these people coming in, they are willing to do the job for a portion of the pay. And so we're left out.
GAYLE KING: This is bigger, though, than opening up the borderers. This is about children being separated from their parents. What do you say to that?
FRANK: I don't agree with that.
KING: You don’t agree with that, but?
FRANK: But my opinion is we can’t just open up the borders.
KING: What's the solution?
FRANK: Oh, my gosh. I don’t know.
KING: As an immigrant yourself!
FRANK: Work with the governments, with the countries where they're from, and try and get them jobs out there.
KING: But you came here seeking a better life.
FRANK: Yes, yes.
KING: Doesn't that seem like a contradiction? As an immigrant yourself?
FRANK: Yes, yes, it is. It does. Now that I'm here, I can see the point of view of the people that live here.
KING: And most of the people coming here are not — they are law-abiding citizens. Would you agree with that?
FRANK: Most of them are, yes. Most of them are, but not all of them.
KING: Yeah. When you hear those strong opinions from both sides it hits home that this immigration debate is not easy to resolve. We've been saying all along it is very complicated.
