CBS’ Margaret Brennan Shocked That Most Americans Back Deporting Illegal Immigrants

CBS “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan struggled to digest numbers from a recent poll showing nearly two in three Americans support mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

Brennan appeared incredulous when pondering recent figures on Sunday showing that 62% of all Americans back, “in principle, a new government program to deport all undocumented immigrants living in the US illegally.”

The “Face the Nation” host reacted to survey figures presented by Anthony Salvanto, the top CBS News pollster, who noted that supporters of former President Donald Trump as well as some Democrats were in favor of mass deportations. {snip}

In response to Salvanto’s reading of the numbers, Brennan remarked that the Biden administration “has already deported or repatriated more people in the past year than any year since 2010.”

In late December, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued its annual report showing that the agency deported 142,000 undocumented migrants in fiscal year 2023 — almost double the number from the year before.

Brennan also remarked on reports that former President Donald Trump plans a massive immigration crackdown should he win a second term in office, including removals of undocumented that would entail bypassing process hearings.

Trump has vowed to deliver the “largest mass deportation effort” in American history if he gets back into office next year, targeting millions of illegal migrants across the country.

Brennan said Sunday that “some of what Mr. Trump talks about could be illegal.”

“It doesn’t seem practical, in some sense, to round up children,” the CBS News anchor said.

“And then we know that the courts have questioned whether local authorities would have the ability to do it. And federal authorities don’t have the resources. So what exactly do people think they’re supporting?”

Salvanto said that “we are in a different era” in which “folks say the system as a whole is not working.”

{snip}