Common sense is returning to Washington, even if mainstream press reporters can’t help but fight tooth and nail against it. That was perfectly illustrated during White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s first official briefing on Wednesday.
As RedState reported, Leavitt took the podium to a packed room, with some mainstream press reporters forced to stand. The drama over seating aside, though, the topics ranged from firing federal bureaucrats to illegal immigration, and unsurprisingly, the latter was prominent.
SEE: First White House Press Briefing for Karline Leavitt Has the Press Off-Balance
Reporters repeatedly demanded to know how illegal immigrants being deported have “criminal records.” Before getting to her answer, let’s discuss why they do that.
One of the primary ways “journalists” produce their deserved narratives is by trying to force others to accept their false premises. In this case, illegally crossing the border is simply discounted as criminal activity. By doing so, a reporter can then claim cruelty and malfeasance by saying, “But you’re deporting people with no criminal record!” Here’s the thing, though. Crossing the border illegally is a crime. To be more specific, it’s a federal misdemeanor. It’s also a statutory crime to remain in the country after an asylum claim has been denied.
When faced with the strawman that illegal immigrants need to have committed a non-immigration-related crime to be deported, Leavitt didn’t bite.
WATCH 🔴
Reporter: “How many of the migrants that were deported have a criminal record?”
WH Press Secretary: “All of them. Invading is a crime.” pic.twitter.com/cxf8amvyTr
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 28, 2025
With that answer, Leavitt demonstrated the first rule of dealing with the press: Never accept their premises.
As Border Czar Tom Homan has laid out several times, there is no requirement that an illegal alien be a violent criminal to face deportation. That is a moving of the goalposts that the American people did not consent to, as illustrated by last November’s election results. If someone did not legally enter the country at a port of entry, they committed a crime, and it is the duty of the federal government to enforce duly enacted laws. It doesn’t matter how many crying videos people put on TikTok.
With all that said, let’s deal with the one exception that Democrats are bringing up, which would be visa overstays. It is correct to say that someone overstaying a student visa, for example, has not technically committed a crime. For context, visa overstays made up an increasingly small minority of illegal aliens despite being at record levels simply because of the sheer number of people crossing the border illegally under Joe Biden.
How relevant is that discussion? It’s not relevant at all. Again, enforcement of immigration laws is not contingent on a person having a prior criminal record. That is not only legally true, it’s also common sense, and it’s finally returning to the White House.
