Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly Debates Illegal Immigration Issue

Bill O’Reilly dealt with one of his favorite topics on The O’Reilly Factor Wednesday evening — illegal immigration.

“An online Harvard-Harris poll provided to The Hill is shocking, but please maintain some skepticism,” O’Reilly began his “Talking Points Memo” segment by saying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIndNRE6yQ8

He noted that 80 percent of respondents in the poll oppose cities turning over arrested illegal immigrants to ICE officials. 53 percent of the people polled opposed building a border wall, while 47 percent support this idea. 53 percent support an executive order suspending the U.S. refugee program for 120 days, while 47 percent oppose the order.

When asked about 100,000 Syrian refugees being accepted in 2017, 51 percent of respondents said that number should be lowered. 34 percent agree with the number, and 15 percent believe more refugees should be allowed.

“If the polling is accurate, that survey is a stunning rebuke to the liberal sanctuary city movement,” O’Reilly continued and talked about a couple recent crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

One of those immigrants is 19-year-old Ever Valles, a gang member who was released from the Denver Sheriff Department, despite ICE asking that he be held. Then, Valles participated in the murder of 32-year-old Tim Cruz. O’Reilly condemned Denver Sheriff Patrick Firman, who said that detaining anyone without a criminal warrant is a violation of the Fourth Amendment.

“The Sheriff Patrick Firman is full of it. There is no violation of the law in holding someone for the federal government. The sheriff upholds the sanctuary city mantra as does the mayor, Michael Hancock,” O’Reilly noted, adding that both men have blood on their hands.

Bill O’Reilly then moved on to discuss the reaction inside Mexico to Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. He asked a journalist, Giselle Fernandez, if Mexicans (in general) are angry about the criminal illegal aliens being targeted for deportation.

“They’re angry and they’re protesting the streets over Trump’s ramped-up negative narrative against Mexican immigrants — legal and undocumented,” Fernandez told O’Reilly, who accused her of not really answering the question by avoiding the word “criminal.”

Rather than talking about the illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, Fernandez told O’Reilly that it’s wrong to use the word “illegal” to describe an entire community. She then got more specific.

“What defines criminal? Is it an expired visa?” she asked O’Reilly and then said she doesn’t think Mexicans oppose criminals who commit violent crimes being deported.

O’Reilly then asked journalist Ruben Navarrette the same question. He said that Trump administration may not be able to see the difference between those undocumented who come here to work and those who commit violent crimes. He noted that just in the last 72 hours, we’ve seen the administration blur the lines of what makes a criminal.

Navarette noted that most Mexicans in Mexico vehemently oppose the wall that Trump wants to build. However, he also said that Mexican-Americans are not as opposed to the idea, even if they aren’t loudly supportive. However, according to Salon, Donald Trump is struggling to keep his border wall promise.

“It has already been established that a U.S.-Mexico border wall, which was one of President Donald Trump’s most famous campaign pledges, would cost at least $20 billion and most likely do little if anything to improve America’s border security. Then again, this discussion may be moot anyway, since it doesn’t look like the Trump administration has made much progress in actually constructing the thing.”

“He hasn’t made any progress other than to say, ‘We’re going to do it,'” Seth Stodder, a former senior homeland security official, is quoted as saying.

Bill O’Reilly believes that a wall may help curb the flow of drug traffic and can’t understand why Mexicans would be opposed to it. Do you agree with Mr. O’Reilly? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

[Featured Image by John Moore/Getty Images]