The media are up to their old tricks and we're seeing that CBS, under the leadership of Bari Weiss (Is Bari Weiss Bringing Respectability Back to the Legacy Media? – RedState), isn't terribly less partisan than the CBS of Dan Rather. Perhaps a bit smoother and with fewer instances of hair on fire, but still anti-Trump, pro-illegals, and anti-American in leanings.
It is no secret that all "right-thinking" people, from Reason Magazine to Chuck Schumer, oppose Trump's policy of DEI, that is, Deport Every Illegal. I have to admit, I stole that one; the source is at the end of the post. There are a lot of reasons. Schumer is looking at the genocide of the Democrat party if the Supreme Court rules, as is expected, that carving up states into racial ghettos to achieve a certain number of minority members elected to office is an affront to the Fourteenth Amendment; see The Voting Rights Act Probably Won't Be 'Gutted,' but the Supreme Court Appears Set to Restrain It – RedState. There is overwhelming evidence that a significant number of illegals are registered to vote and vote in elections because the stupid "motor voter" laws don't require proof of citizenship. All you have to do is check a box, and some bored, time-serving functionary signs off on it. Illegals represent the future of the Democrat party.
Another claim, made in areas where ICE has a significant presence, is that immigration enforcement hurts business.
ICE is wreaking havoc on Minnesota’s economy and costing our local businesses millions of dollars every week. This cannot go on. ICE needs to leave immediately. pic.twitter.com/Peh2uZcoQA
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) February 6, 2026
If you depend on illegals for either employees or customers, you, in my opinion, should be out of business. Of course, in Klobuchar's state, many of those endangered businesses are Somali-run fraud emporiums; see Does the Mounting Minnesota Fraud Scandal Explain the Curious Prominence of Some Minnesota Politicians? – RedState, Maine in the Crosshairs, As CMS Administrator Dr. Oz Goes Ham on Medicare Fraud – RedState, and SBA's Loeffler Suspends 111,620 California Businesses in $8.6 Billion Fraud Scam – RedState.
The line in the sand appeal is to fairness. Sure, they say, good ol' Juan is illegal and so is his whole family. But he works hard, and he's a good neighbor. There is no reason to deport his butt.
It is in the latter category that CBS News weighed in today: Less than 14% of those arrested by ICE in Trump's 1st year back in office had violent criminal records, document shows - CBS News.
Less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in President Trump's first year back in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News.
The official statistics contained in the DHS document, which had not been previously reported publicly, provide the most detailed look yet into who ICE has arrested during the Trump administration's far-reaching deportation operations across the U.S.
Okay, that's still 60,000 violent felons no longer in our communities.
It goes on to say, "The internal DHS figures undermine frequent assertions by the Trump administration that its crackdown on illegal immigration is primarily targeting dangerous and violent criminals living in the U.S. illegally, people Mr. Trump and his lieutenants have regularly called the 'worst of the worst.'"
Even at this, CBS makes this admission, so perhaps Weiss has had an impact: "Nearly 60% of ICE arrestees over the past year had criminal charges or convictions, the document indicates. But among that population, the majority of the criminal charges or convictions are not for violent crimes."
Even by CBS's own numbers, the data show conclusively that ICE is primarily targeting charged and convicted criminals. Somehow, they've decided that "non-violent" felons violate President Trump's policy statement, but that is a bizarre reading of his words.
This caught the attention of the Department of Homeland Security, and Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin responded. By the way, if you don't follow McLaughlin's personal account on X, you are really missing it.
Drug trafficking, Distribution of child pornography, burglary, fraud, DUI, embezzlement, solicitation of a minor, human smuggling are all categorized as “non violent crimes.”
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) February 9, 2026
Like we said, ~70% of those illegal aliens arrested under @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem have pending…
Drug trafficking, Distribution of child pornography, burglary, fraud, DUI, embezzlement, solicitation of a minor, human smuggling are all categorized as “non violent crimes.”
Like we said, ~70% of those illegal aliens arrested under @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem have pending criminal charges or prior convictions.
Throw into that mix guys who are arrested and handed over to ICE without criminal charges, and there is no doubt that the lion's share of involuntary deportees are criminals of some variety, and being a drug pusher rather than an armed robber doesn't constitute a "get out of jail free" card.
What CBS is trying to do is generate sympathy for illegals. There is much here that is reminiscent of the heyday of the three-strikes laws in the early 1990s. Empirically, incarcerating three-time felons reduced crime. That isn't debatable. So the media attacked the laws, successfully, I might add, by stories like "Joe Bob is going to prison for life for stealing a slice of pizza." Even though Joe Bob pushed a kid off his bike and took the pizza from him. Empirically, deporting illegals reduces crime, reduces rents, and increases the employment of American citizens. That really can't be denied. So the media are now attacking the entire idea of deporting non-violent felons and mere border-jumpers because it isn't fair.
As if to put a red flag on the objective of the article, it says, "A CBS News poll last month found that Americans' support for Mr. Trump's deportation efforts had fallen to 46%, down from 59% at the start of his second term. Just over 60% of those surveyed said immigration agents were being 'too tough...'"
Here's the bottom line. I really don't care. I want every illegal gone. Ideally, they'll leave with a free plane ticket and $2,600 of my kids' inheritance in their pockets, but if they have to leave in handcuffs and leg irons, I'm fine with that, too. I'd rather that first priority be given to violent felons, but I also believe we can walk and chew gum at the same time.
I promised you where I stole the DEI snark. Here's the link; the tweet will not embed for some totally unsuspicious reason.
RedState is your leading source for news and views on administration, politics, culture, and conservatism. If you appreciate our reporting and commentary, please consider becoming a member and supporting our efforts. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member