opinion
In what is clear evidence of how America has dealt with the problem of illegal immigrants committing violent crimes in this country for some time, we look back at a debate between former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera from nearly 20 years ago. Years ago.
Rivera has long been an advocate for illegal aliens, so it's no surprise that his stance in this clip from 2007 is in defense of a man guilty of manslaughter. He and O'Reilly begin the discussion by discussing Alfredo Ramos, who was sentenced to 24 years in prison and then deported for a drunk driving accident that killed two teenage girls.
Before the crash that claimed the girls' lives, Ramos had previously been convicted of three separate charges of public intoxication, identity theft, as well as DUI.
Despite his extensive criminal history and illegal status in the country before the incident, Ramos was never reported to federal immigration officials because of the Virginia Beach Police Department's “sanctuary policy” enacted in 2005 that prohibits authorities from even asking him about his immigration status.
RELATED: Charles Payne bombards Geraldo Rivera with reality: “Do you think Russia is going to drop a bomb on President Biden?!”
Rivera argues with O'Reilly – gets suspended
Rivera approached the story in 2007 from the angle that the illegal immigrant who killed two teenagers was no different from any other drunk driver in Virginia.
“I think you have the story completely wrong, my friend. I think we're talking about drunk driving,” Rivera stated. “And there were 347 drunk driving deaths in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2005. I think this may be the first story about We do drunk driving from Virginia.”
Ramos' case wouldn't be comparable to other drunk driving cases unless he was It wasn't illegal immigrant. You can't say, “Well, the bank robber wouldn't have been any different than the guy making the check if it wasn't for the gun.”
No, the bank robber is accused of robbery And Unlawful possession of a firearm, while charges amount to armed robbery. It's relevant, Geraldo from 2007.
“It's not an illegal alien story, Bill. “It's a drunk driving story,” Rivera falsely stated.
“This is why you're wrong. When you enter this country illegally, number one, you have no right to be here, you have no right. That's the truth,” O'Reilly responded in a debate that became incredibly heated.
“Now, I just want to get this straight. You, Geraldo Rivera, with your teenage daughters, are telling me that you're OK with someone sneaking into the country, getting drunk, getting convicted of a DUI, and staying here? He asked. 'Are you okay with that?'
RELATED: Boston ICE agents arrest illegal alien convicted of child sex abuse: 'Terrible threat'
Many stories of murder and rape
When the first approach didn't work — putting Ramos in the category of any drunk driving case — Rivera tried to convince O'Reilly that the illegal immigrant was being unfairly highlighted because of his race.
“My nightmare is that my daughters have an affair with someone who drives drunk. “That's my nightmare,” he replied. “It could be a Jewish drunkard. It could be a Polish drunkard. He could be an Irish drunkard. It could be an Italian drunkard. What difference does this make?
The difference is that he was here illegally. His nationality does not matter.
“He has no right to be in this country!” O'Reilly shouted.
The nearly two-decade-old clip is of great interest given recent news. We have seen too many cases of illegal immigrants who “have no right to be in this country” committing heinous crimes in recent days.
On Wednesday, The Policy Insider reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Boston arrested a 34-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala, recently convicted of assault and battery on a child under 14 years old. The Gloucester District Court had previously released him, although ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) Boston had filed a lawsuit against him.
In addition, authorities in Maryland have arrested and charged an illegal immigrant from El Salvador with murder in the case of a 2-year-old boy who was shot and killed this month while walking in the park with his mother.
Not to mention the case of University of Georgia nursing student Lakin Riley, who was allegedly murdered by suspect Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal alien.
Rivera, in 2007, did not find these cases any more newsworthy than if they involved an Irish person.
It's time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Policy Insider ranks third on Feedspot's “Top 100 Political Blogs and Websites” list.
