On his Friday radio show, Glenn Beck suggested those who do not want to pass out soccer balls and teddy bears to illegal immigrant children at detention centers with him are “pusses.”
He also said Americans should not “focus” on the gangsters, killers, and rapists who are coming across the border with the illegal immigrant children two days after Breitbart Texas reported that an illegal immigrant whom the federal government released in June with a “notice to appear” was arrested for murder.
While discussing his plans to go to McAllen, Texas on Saturday with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Beck half-jokingly said his co-host Stu was not man enough for skipping out on the trip. Stu said since he has a child under two years of age, doctors recommended that he not travel to the border because of the risk of contagious diseases.
Beck also suggested those who did not go to the border with him like Cruz were also “pusses.”
“You know who is not a giant puss?” Beck asked, before answering, “Ted Cruz.” He said Cruz called him on Thursday afternoon and said, “I’m coming.”
Besides the risk of catching diseases like swine flu or tuberculosis or being targeted or identified by gangsters at the detention centers, some Americans believe making a spectacle of passing out soccer balls and teddy bears contributes to the misinformation campaign smugglers, cartel members, thugs, and other criminals use to lure children and parents from Central America to the United States. On that journey, many children are beaten, maimed, killed, and raped. And if the illegal immigrants get deported, their lives are often still in danger if they or their families in the United States are indebted to smugglers or cartels.
Beck made his remarks days after he told Fox News’ Megyn Kelly that he never intended to throw conservatives who are opposed to his efforts under the bus during his initial announcement. Beck also said that even if his actions lure more illegal immigrant children to make the harrowing journey to America and be exploited and harmed, that is not his “intent.”
Beck indicated earlier in the week that he hoped the illegal immigrant children go back to their countries and talk about how wonderful the Americans they met were. He said he hoped that they could try to make something of themselves and come to America the right way in the future.
Last week, Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large John Nolte wrote that Beck should not have made his announcement in a way that allowed the mainstream press to bash and mock conservatives. Nolte emphasized that “rather than acknowledge the other side has a reasonable argument against what he’s doing that is every bit as humane as his,” Beck “chose to puff himself up as a martyr and handed the likes of ‘Morning Joe’ ready-made talking points to bash his own supporters and conservatives in general” as cold-hearted and even un-Christian.
Nolte noted that the truly “compassionate thing to do is to ensure you’re not doing anything that might encourage more parents to send their unaccompanied children on that harrowing trek.” He added that “it is not insane, unreasonable, or lacking in compassion to argue that news of a major American media figure greeting children at the border with toys could be used by the drug smugglers and human traffickers already exploiting these kids as a way to recruit more.”
Beck was also perturbed on Friday that nobody on his own site was interested or excited about the story about Cruz accompanying Beck to the border.
“Nobody’s reading [The Blaze’s coverage of Ted Cruz going to border],” Beck said. “Our viewers and our readers are not even reading it. That should be the number-one retweeted story.”
Beck reiterated that Americans should not focus on the thugs and rapists who are accompanying the illegal immigrant children across the border and leave that up to the federal government.
“Don’t focus on the MS-13 gang members, rapists and the killers. That’s for the government,” he said. “That’s for the government to do their job. That’s justice, and I demand justice. But we are to provide mercy.”