Republicans turned on MAGA-friendly CBS News boss Bari Weiss after the network reported Monday on ICE arrests and what's happening within the agency, which was actually documented by the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security.
CBS reported how a leaked DHS memo showed that less than 14% of the about 400,000 people arrested in 2025 were previously convicted or charged for violent criminal offenses — a major crux of the administration's argument for its aggressive immigration policies, according to The New Republic.
"Since the campaign trail, Donald Trump has pledged that he would utilize ICE to target the 'worst of the worst' and oust violent criminals from the country. But federal agents have resorted to arresting practically anybody—including U.S. citizens and children—in order to satisfy Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller’s quota of 3,000 or more arrests per day. They have also shot and killed U.S. citizens, and struck terror and fury into the souls of American communities, sparking nationwide protests and local economic blackouts," The New Republic reported.
But Republicans were apparently not convinced of this reality.
"None of that, however, has held water with conservatives, who have seemingly redirected the criticism warranted by America’s immigration agencies toward the newly reimagined MAGA-friendly news outlet, refusing to believe statistics published by Trump’s own administration," the outlet reported.
MAGA was apparently in disbelief over their own administration's reporting. Some even tried to dispute the information with unfounded facts.
“Wrong. About 70 percent of illegal aliens deported have pending criminal charges OR prior convictions,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) wrote in a post on X Monday, not providing any source to his statement. “Plus, drug trafficking, child pornography distribution, burglary, DUI, and human smuggling are categorized as ‘non-violent crimes.’ But when Obama does it, it’s okay. Right?”
ICE also attempted to dispute the facts from its own administration on its X account, and even the White House's "rapid response" account claimed CBS was “fake news" in a comment, despite its own administration's memo.
