Tucker Rips Open-Borders Activist: ‘You’re Impervious to Facts’

Fox News host Tucker Carlson blasted an activist for illegal aliens Friday for being so “blinded by [his] ideology” that he had “become impervious to facts,” during an interview on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

Patrick Young, the program director for the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), was one of dozens of protesters who gathered in Long Island to protest a speech from Attorney General Jeff Sessions concerning measures the Department of Justice was taking to crack down on illegal-immigrant gang violence. Prior to the speech, CARECEN released a statement asking Long Islanders to “resist the rhetoric of criminalization coming down from Washington.”

“And you just don’t want to admit that because you disagree with our immigration laws. And that doesn’t help anybody, if you don’t tell the truth.”

“Well, you might think that stopping a murderous gang is a goal that can unite people and that everyone can agree with, but apparently not,” Carlson mused on his show.

The Fox News host drew Young’s attention to federal data revealing that 92 percent of the 4,000 members arrested from the MS-13 gang members are illegal immigrants and that 16 percent of them were apprehended multiple times at the border. Seemingly unfazed by the data, the activist argued that when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers meddle in immigrants’ affairs, “you just divide the community, and you drive the people who are really the eyes and ears to the police underground.”

“You turn them into antagonists. And that’s not something that’s safe for any of us,” Young argued. “And what you don’t want to do, is you don’t want to blame the victims and re-victimize them.”

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Carlson noted, “But here’s what I don’t understand: Pretending that immigration has nothing to do with the rise of the gang is false. It does … So there is a direct connection between people coming illegally and the rise of this gang. Why not just admit that?”

But Young, sidestepping the MS-13 statistics offered by Carlson, claimed there are many American-born individuals who participate in criminal gangs. Thus, he argued, it is harmful to “stigmatize” illegal immigrants and highlight their involvement in violent gangs. Furthermore, the activist insisted that the threat of increased deportations under Sessions and President Donald Trump’s administration deter otherwise non-criminal illegal immigrants from coming forward and reporting crimes.

“I’m not saying that you don’t want people affected by MS-13 to come forward. I’m merely saying these guys are here in the first place — 92 percent of them — because we didn’t enforce our immigration laws,” Carlson said. “And you just don’t want to admit that because you disagree with our immigration laws. And that doesn’t help anybody, if you don’t tell the truth.”

Young protested, saying, “I disagree with that because it’s not the truth … You’re stigmatizing a particular group.”

Carlson insisted that he was just fine with “stigmatizing” MS-13 gang members.

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“I’m not blaming all immigrants. I’m merely saying we wouldn’t have this problem in the first place if these people weren’t here,” Carlson continued. “They don’t have a right to be here. They’re here illegally. And in this case — the case of MS-13 — they’re murdering people. So whose fault is that?”

“Unlike you, I’m not blinded by my ideology to the point where I can’t admit obvious truths,” Carlson added. “And the most obvious is this is an immigration-based problem.”

Young continued to insist illegal-immigrant gang members should not be demonized.

“Do you think there comes a point when you’re so committed … to a particular worldview that you become impervious to facts?” Carlson asked.

But Young remained unmoved, concluding, “We know the cause of gangs is not immigration because there are plenty of non-immigrants who are in gangs.”