June 21, 2020, Sunday Shows Wrap-Up

Discussions about Immigration and Xenophobia Occur on All Five of This Weekend's Major Sunday
​Morning Public Affairs Programs

Sunday, June 21, 2020

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Click the Play Button, above, to see excerpts of instances in which the subjects of immigration or xenophobia were discussed during the June 21, 2020, Sunday public affairs programs.

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News coverage of the events surrounding the killing of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Atlanta, Georgia, and the widespread protests and civil unrest that those killings spawned, have continued to dominate news coverage on the cable news networks and in newspapers across the country.  Notwithstanding that, however, because of last Thursday's decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from rescinding the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA), there was plenty of talk about immigration and xenophobia during the June 21, 2020, editions. of the five most prominent Sunday morning public affairs programs.

Among those discussing, mentioning, or alluding to immigration, immigrants, or xenophobia during the programs this week were Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, ABC News's Cecilia Vega, Trump campaign Aide Mercedes Schlapp, Republican strategist Al Cardenas, and Trump economic advisor Peter Navarro.

​A summary of the discussions that took place during the June 21, 2020, Sunday morning public affairs programs, along with a link to video of those discussions, follows:

ABC - This Week:  The headliner guests on the June 21, 2020, edition of ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" program were Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), author of the Senate Republican's policing bill; and Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.

Appearing on the program's "Powerhouse Roundtable" segment were former Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ); former Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago); Cecilia Vega, senior White House correspondent for ABC News; and Leah Wright Riguer, Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School

In the only mention of immigration during the program, ABC News's Cecilia Vega comments on the political difficulty that President Trump faces in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to block his move to rescind DACA.Given the appearance of Vega and the proximity of the Supreme Court's decision on DACA, it seems likely that there will be discussions about immigration during the program.

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CBS - Face the Nation:  The headliner guests on the June 21, 2020, edition of CBS's "Face the Nation" program was Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf.

Also appearing on the program were Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA); social activist Angela Davis; Stephen Kaufer, President and Chief Executive Officer of TripAdvisor; Jide Zeitlin, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer of Tapestry; former Florida Department. of Health Data Scientist Rebekah Jones, currently with Florida COVID Action; New York Times Columnist Jamelle Bouie; and former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb.

During his appearance, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf criticized the Obama Administration for the way it established the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA); asserted that, notwithstanding the Supreme Court decision on DACA, the program is unlawful; and stated that the Administration would continue to process work authorizations for DACA beneficiaries and not forcibly deport them for now.

Secretary Wolf said that "the President has been very clear about wanting to find a lasting solution for these individuals." He al-

so said that "the President has directed the Department to take a look at the Court opinion" and to "take a look at our rationale" so that "we can wind down this program."

​The Secretary went on to declare during the program that it is safe to fly because DHS operations are screening individuals as they come into the country.  And he blamed some of the increased number of COVID-19 "hot spots" in states like Arizonza and Texas on U.S. citizens and LPRs coming into the country from Mexico.

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CNN - State of the Union:  The headliner guests on the June 21, 2020, edition of CNN’s “State of the Union with Jake Tapper” program were Peter Navarro, President Trump's Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy; and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D-Atlanta)..

Also appearing on the program this week were House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY); and former George W. Bush and Barack Obama Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
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In the only immigration-or xenophobia-related comments on the program, White House Advisor Peter Navarro repeatedly blamed the People's Republic of China and that country's communist party for ... well... for just about everything.

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FOX - Fox News Sunday:  The headliner guest on the June 21, 2020, edition of FOX's "Fox News Sunday" program was Dr. Tom Inglesby, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Also appearing on the program this week will be Biden campaign advisor Symone Sanders; Trump campaign advisor Mercedes Schlapp.

Appearing during the program's political pundits segment this week will be Fox News Contributor Guy Benson; conservative commentator Katie Pavlich; and Fox News's Juan Williams.

In the only immigration-related comments on the program, Trump campaign aide Mercedes Schlapp raises the case of an African American she says was killed by an "illegal alien" when questioned by host Chris Wallace about President Trump's record on dealing with racism. Schlapp comments that Trump has pledged to deal with illegal immigration while President Trump and Vice President Biden ignored the problem.

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NBC - Meet the Press:   The headliner guests on the June 21, 2020, edition of NBC’s “Meet the Press” program was Acting Sec. of Homeland Security Chad Wolf.
 
Also appearing on the program this week were Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chair of the House Select Committee on Intelligence; and Author Michael Osterholm, Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Appearing during the political roundtable segment of the program were+ PBS News Hour House White House Correspondent and NBC News Contributor Yamiche Alcindor; Al Cardenas, Chairman of the American Conservative Union; and  NBC News Correspondent Carol Lee. 

During his appearance, Acting Secretary Wolf declared without any substantiation that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) is unlawful.  He said "we are going to end an unlawful program."  He said that "the President has begged Congress for 2 1/2 years to solve this problem."  He said "we will continue to urge Congress to come to the table."

During his appearance, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf With regard to DACA and the Supreme Court decision that blocked the Trump Administration's attempt to rescind it, the Acting Secretary said "the program is clearly unlawful," offering no substantiation for that claim other than asserting that "at no point in that decision did they [the Supreme Court] say that the program is lawful." He criticized the way the Obama Administration initiated DACA.

He said that the Trump Administration has taken "a very logical approach to winding this down over a six month period." He said that "the President has been very clear. We need to find a solution for this population." He added that "we will continue to look at the opinion that the Court produced this week, making sure that we adhere to that. But we are going to end an unlawful program." He said that "I don't have the luxury to ignore the law. The program is unlawful. We need to solve it."

He asserted that "the President has been begging Congress for the last two and a half years to solve this problem. We are willing to sit down at the table and negotiate with ​them."

Continuing, Wolf asserted that "We will continue to encourage Congress to come to the table and find a solution for this population." The President has been very clear about that over three and a half years. But at the same time, he had directed the Department of Homeland Security to look at that opinion, look at the rationale, look at what the Court has asked us to do." 

With regard to COVID-19 and ICE detention practices, the Acting Secretary said that in the wake of COVID-19, ICE is holding down the number of immigration detainees, in part by voluntarily releasing about 900 persons in vulnerable populations or who have underlying health conditions; by reviewing other cases in which the court has ordered release; by capping detention facility populations at 70 percent of capacity; and by adhering to CDC guidelines for those detention facilities.

​With regard to repatriations during the pandemic, Wolf said "we are testing most individuals that we are repatriating back to foreign countries and making sure they are not symptomatic." He said that "we are working closely with the northern triangle and others as we do that." But he said that the Department is not intentionally sending people back who are symptomatic. 

During the roundtable segment of the program host Chuck Todd plays portions of several Trump campaign ads attacking former Vice President Joe Biden on his supposed ties to China, Iran, and Osama bin Laden and Republican strategist Al Cardnenas comments on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the ads.

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