’Let’s be fair’: GOP lawmaker clashes with CNN anchor in tense ICE showdown

Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) repeatedly clashed with CNN anchor Boris Sanchez on Wednesday as he pressed her over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, refusing to let her sidestep questions about the detention of immigrants in her South Texas district.

The tense exchange unfolded when Sanchez questioned whether De La Cruz knew ICE had detained more than 40,000 immigrations without criminal convictions before she voted to give the agency billions in additional funding.

De La Cruz instead touted tax cuts and funding for the Coast Guard, prompting Sanchez to push back.

“Congresswoman, I hear your argument about taxes,” Sanchez said. “I was asking about one specific portion of it.”

“Let’s be fair about the question,” De La Cruz shot back, defending the legislation’s broader benefits.

But Sanchez refused to let the question go as the two repeatedly talked over each other.

“I understand your point about tax relief. You’ve outlined that before, and the checks for the Coast Guard,” the CNN anchor said Wednesday. “I just wonder if you could address the question of whether you knew that there were already tens of thousands of people without criminal convictions that had been detained.”

De La Cruz continued discussing tax relief without directly answering his question.

Earlier, Sanchez confronted the congresswoman over whether Trump’s immigration crackdown was humane, citing deaths in ICE custody and the deportation of longtime residents. De La Cruz insisted that enforcement should focus on “the cartels and the criminals.”

The confrontation continued when Sanchez questioned why De La Cruz had not signed a discharge petition that was just one signature short of forcing a House vote on legislation protecting DACA recipients.

De La Cruz defended her position, arguing instead that the “legislative process” established by the Founding Fathers allows both parties to debate and amend legislation.