For the second day in a row, a congressional committee hearing made headlines. Both times the “big three” evening news broadcasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC decided to blow off covering the story due to their desire to protect Congressional Democrats from embarrassing headlines. This time, on Tuesday the Senate Homeland Security Committee grilled Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas due to his horrific handling of the crisis at the southern border.
To make matters worse, a bombshell report in the New York Times revealed President Biden knew about the “surge in child labor across the U.S. but did nothing to protect migrant children once in U.S. custody."
Instead of giving airtime on this stunning report and the subsequent Senate hearing, the three networks spent time reporting on a New York City parking garage collapse (ABC), a toddler sneaking through the White House fence (CBS), and football player Damar Hamlin getting the all clear to play again (NBC).
Fox News Channel’s Special Report had the story instead and fill in anchor Gillian Turner opened her report with the revelation that “the Biden administration was made aware of a surge in child labor across the U.S. but failed to adequately protect migrant children in U.S. custody.”
Senior correspondent Chad Pergram picked up the report from there and noted how during the hearing, “Republicans [were] alarmed at horrendous working conditions for thousands of child laborers who entered the country alone.”
“Republicans accuse DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of loosening vetting rules for migrants. That created what they termed indentured servitude,” Pergram added before cutting to a video montage of Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley ripping into Mayorkas:
HAWLEY: I for one am sick and tired of it and thousands of children are in physical danger. Danger! Because of what you are doing. You should have resigned long ago.
PERGRAM: Mayorkas contends DHS is trying to fix the problem.
MAYORKAS: Our worksite enforcement strategy is actually now focused on employers, unscrupulous employers who exploit individuals because of their vulnerability.
Pergram then noted that “Republicans question the sincerity of Mayorkas, saying nothing he tries works.”
SEN. RON JOHNSON: Do you not care? Do you not have just an ounce of human compassion for what your open border policy—you sit there looking with a blank look on your face? Saying it's a priority.
MAYORKAS: The Senator mischaracterizes our policies with respect to the security of the southern border.
“Democrats tried to shield Mayorkas from the GOP barrage,” Pergram noted before cutting to a clip of Delaware Democratic Senator Tom Carper defending Mayorkas.
Pergram ended by noting that if “Title 42 ends in May. It's believed illegal immigration could climb to 400,000 crossings per month.”
This bias by omission from the three networks was made possible by Chewy on ABC, Liberty Mutual on CBS, and Prevagen on NBC. Their information is linked.
The transcript is below. Click “expand” to read:
FNC’s Special Report
4/18/2023
6:03:13 p.m. EasternGILLIAN TURNER: A new border investigation meanwhile finds the Biden administration was made aware of a surge in child labor across the U.S. but failed to adequately protect migrant children in U.S. custody. The bombshell New York Times report comes as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas faces a grilling by Senators on capitol hill. Here is senior correspondent Chad Pergram.
CHAD PERGRAM: They crossed the border illegally. Now employers exploiting them. Republicans alarmed at horrendous working conditions for thousands of child laborers who entered the country alone.
SEN. JOSH HAWLEY: Working overnight in slaughterhouses. Replacing roofs. Operating machinery in factories.
PERGRAM: Republicans accuse DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of loosening vetting rules for migrants. That created what they termed indentured servitude.
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Senator, the horrific exploitation of children is something that we do not condone. You are incorrectly attributing it to our policies.
HAWLEY: I for one am sick and tired of it and thousands of children are in physical danger. Danger! Because of what you are doing. You should have resigned long ago.
PERGRAM: Mayorkas contends DHS is trying to fix the problem.
MAYORKAS: Our worksite enforcement strategy is actually now focused on employers, unscrupulous employers who exploit individuals because of their vulnerability.
PERGRAM: Republicans question the sincerity of Mayorkas, saying nothing he tries works.
SEN. RON JOHNSON: Do you not care? Do you not have just an ounce of human compassion for what your open border policy—you sit there looking with a blank look on your face? Saying it's a priority.
MAYORKAS: The Senator mischaracterizes our policies with respect to the security of the southern border.
PERGRAM: Democrats tried to shield Mayorkas from the GOP barrage. Encouraging respect.
SEN. TOM CARPER: I wouldn't treat anybody the way that I have seen you treated before another committee and again here by at least one of our colleagues today.
PERGRAM: Title 42 ends in May. It's believed illegal immigration could climb to 400,000 crossings per month. Gillian?
