White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller clashed with CNN anchor Boris Sanchez on Monday after Sanchez repeatedly pressed him on whether the Trump administration was engaging in racial profiling in its immigration enforcement.
The tense exchange on “CNN News Central” saw Miller completely reject the allegation, calling the query “dumb.”
The anchor’s questions were prompted by comments from Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who has accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of targeting individuals based on their “brown or black” skin color.
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Sanchez asked Miller directly, “Is it the case that as Pritzker frames it, you are profiling brown people, that this immigration crackdown is designed to go after people of color?”
Miller’s response, which began with a laugh, immediately dismissed the premise.
“Oh, what a dumb question. The illegal aliens who are here are taking jobs away from blacks. They’re taking jobs away from whites. They’re taking jobs away from Latinos,” Miller asserted. “They’re taking their health benefits away. They’re taking their school slots away. And of course, in many cases, they’re committing heinous crimes. We cannot have a system of law in this country that privileges illegal aliens over American citizens. And that’s what they’re doing. You know it and I know it.”
Sanchez claimed Miller had not directly refuted the governor’s allegation. Miller retorted, “I thought when I said it was a dumb question, it meant no.”
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After Sanchez insisted his question was “fair,” Miller clarified his position even further, stating: “My full answer is no, that is a lie and it’s a dumb question.”
The confrontation comes shortly after the Supreme Court, on September 8th, granted the Trump administration’s request to lift restrictions concerning immigration raids in Los Angeles.
The administration had previously sought to block a district court judge’s order that barred reliance on race, location, type of work, or speaking Spanish when conducting immigration enforcement.
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