Late-night TV hosts melted down over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policy, describing it as “morally repugnant” and urging those defending it to “resign in disgrace.”
An ongoing crackdown on the U.S. border as part of immigration enforcement has seen some parents separated from their children under Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ “zero tolerance” policy.
The policy has been widely condemned by the left and its Democratic Party organs, with many Hollywood figures the most vocal in expressing their disgust. On Monday evening, left-leaning late-night hosts pounded their chest in anger over the policy.
Stephen Colbert
Late Show host Stephen Colbert brought up the subject by questioning Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s claim that authorities do not have a policy of separating children from their parents.
“Not everyone in this administration blames this policy on the Democrats. Some say the policy doesn’t exist. Like Secretary of Homeland Security, and definitely not the descendant of immigrants, Kirstjen Nielsen,” Colbert said. “Then why are you locking up kids in an abandoned Walmart. Question mark. Exclamation point. Colon: with your head up it.”
“Yes, who can tell if these weeping toddlers are part of a family?” he continued. “They might not even be toddlers. They might be adults with shoes on their knees.”
Seth Meyers
Late Night host Seth Meyers described the policy as “monstrous” and called on anyone failing to denounce it to “resign.”
“This is not a law,” Meyers explained. “It’s a policy announced by choice by the Trump administration.”
“This policy is monstrous and morally repugnant, and it is being done in our name,” he continued. “Any elected official who doesn’t call for an immediate end to it is complicit. And anyone associated with it should resign in disgrace.”
Jimmy Fallon
NBC’s Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, who usually avoids political commentary for fear of alienating his audience, suggested that the border policy was similar to other policies or attitudes applied by the Trump administration, including a hostility to African-Americans.
“The Trump administration is facing criticism for separating immigrant children from their parents. Some people said they couldn’t believe Trump would do something like this,” he quipped. “Then African-Americans, Muslims, DACA recipients, transgender troops and Special Olympians were like: ‘We can.’”
Trevor Noah
Over on The Daily Show, Comedy Central host Trevor Noah used the policy to launch an attack on Fox News show Fox and Friends, whose hosts questioned whether migrants were being detained in cages or a different type of holding facility.
“I never thought I’d hear a positive spin on cages,” Noah said. “I’m a cage half-full kinda guy, after all what is a chain-link fence if not a wall made of silver linings.”
Jimmy Kimmel also chimed in by bashing President Trump and Fox News.
Just when you thought we couldn’t go any lower as a nation, we have,” Kimmel said. “I’m sure you’ve seen the heartbreaking and horrific images of families literally being torn apart thanks to the Trump administration and their zero tolerance immigration policy. Thousands of children have been taken away from their parents. It’s absolutely sickening to see kids put into cages. Unless you work for ‘Fox & Friends,’ in which case they might not be cages at all,” Kimmel said.
“President Trump claims he hates this policy, even though it is 100 percent without question his policy, and a policy,” Kimmel added. “And he could stop it immediately if he wanted to. But of course, he’s playing the opposite game and blaming Democrats.”
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