Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused “The View” co-host Ana Navarro of misrepresenting her remarks after Sanders defended President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure the border during Monday’s program.
Navarro referred to Trump’s Sunday interview with “60 Minutes,” in which he said his immigration approach may have been “too tough.” She asked Sanders whether she agreed, and how that view fit with Trump’s decision to elevate Stephen Miller, who helped shape immigration policies during both of Trump’s terms, including family separations and the Muslim travel ban.
Sanders, who served as White House press secretary during Trump’s first term, said the president was right to secure the border and focus on people who commit violent crimes. She began to add that the effort needed to happen, but Navarro interrupted, saying most people detained and deported do not have violent criminal convictions.
Sanders objected to Navarro’s characterization of her comments. She said she had praised the focus on violent offenders, not claimed that most deportees fit that description. Sanders added that the border needed to be secure, while saying Trump was also right to reconsider whether some people had been targeted too harshly.
In his interview with CBS correspondent Ross Douthat, Trump said his immigration policy had both helped and hurt him. He gave himself high marks for closing the border and removing people he described as dangerous.
Trump also acknowledged that some immigrants living in the United States are “good” people. He said critics objected to the removal of people who had jobs and, in some cases, paid taxes, despite their having entered the country illegally. He noted that Americans disagree over whether those people should be allowed to stay.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sanders also described the death of Jennifer Ann Morton, a pediatric nurse in Arkansas. Sanders said Morton was killed in a drunk-driving crash caused by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been deported during Trump’s first term and later returned to the country under the Biden administration.
“That shouldn’t have happened,” Sanders said, adding that Morton should still be caring for vulnerable children in the state.
Co-host Sunny Hostin challenged Sanders, asking about people deported by the Trump administration who, she said, had no criminal records.
A Migration Policy Institute fact sheet published in October reported that 20% of deportations during the first 18 months of Trump’s second term involved people with criminal convictions.
Sanders said Trump was right to reconsider aspects of his immigration policies and called for comprehensive immigration reform.
Joe Concha, a media commentator, criticized Navarro’s remarks. He said Navarro had hosted a fundraiser for Joe Biden during Biden’s reelection campaign and supported his handling of the border. Concha described her criticism of Trump’s efforts as an example of “unintentional comedy.”
