Fox contributor equates refugees with terrorists and migrants who cross the border illegally
Tammy Bruce: “What the government is viewing as someone who is a refugee in this country, with the terrorists that we've caught, the criminal aliens ... There is a security issue.”
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From the August 25, 2023, edition of Fox News' The Faulkner Focus
SHANNON BREAM (ANCHOR): Okay, so listen, we know the DOJ can walk and chew gum, they can do multiple investigations, but Richard you've got to admit the optics of some of the things that they've chosen to expend energy on raise a lot of questions about how they're using their time and resources.
RICHARD FOWLER (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): Sure, it does. But I think in this case of Elon Musk it really does create a larger thing at play. Number one, I think what they're arguing — and let's be very clear for the audience, these aren't folks who have crossed the border illegally. These are folks who have come into this country, they are a refugee, they might be from Afghanistan, they might be from Ukraine, they've filed for refugee status, they've been approved for refugee status, they are highly qualified in many cases, they are rocket scientists, rocket engineers. They want to work at SpaceX, and what Elon Musk and his executives are saying is, “You cannot apply for a job here, because we only want to hire Americans," even though there might not be an American qualified for this position.
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BREAM: Tammy, if the GOP, if conservatives, are going to be about rule of law and there are potential legal violations here, why should Elon get a pass?
TAMMY BRUCE (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): Well, the rule of law is key. I think what the optics here are very interesting when it comes to the timing with the argument that the federal government is picking and choosing. That, no, they're not looking at the Biden situation, as an example. Donald Trump, though, has got, you know, 91 charges against him, indicted four times. And then a man, Elon Musk, who also challenges the status quo, did not make a lot of friends on the left when he bought Twitter, which is now X. And so you — we see these kinds of targeting approaches from the federal government and, of course, the trust in the federal government at this point, especially the Department of Justice, continues to decline. So, I mean, we obviously want everyone to be fair, but we also, when we think about the hiring of Americans, we are dealing with an economy that's difficult and, you know, we're not entirely sure — when we're looking at the issue of refugee status — that, in fact, people do just come across the border, and are saying, “I'm a refugee," and then they're released. There's a reason why U.S., at least, residency is required: because you've been vetted. This is an argument by the government that that dynamic isn't required. And when you've got 800,000 year-to-date, right now, coming across the border you've got 591 people on the terrorist watch list —
FOWLER: But, but Tammy, Tammy, Tammy let's be honest —
BRUCE: Let me finish. I didn't interrupt you Richard —
FOWLER: But you're mixing apples and oranges here. People crossing the border illegally and refugees are two different categories. To be fair, to be fair!
BREAM: Okay, okay, okay hold on, hold on —
BRUCE: I'm sorry, come on Richard. No, excuse me.
BREAM: Tammy finish your answer so we can move on to our next topic.
BRUCE: Thank you, thank you. That's the issue, is that what the government is viewing as someone who is a refugee in this country, with the terrorists that we've caught, the criminal aliens that — 10,000 that the Border Patrol has encountered, but it's only arrested 800 — there is a security issue with the rockets and the nature of of — Elon is saying he can't even hire Canadians because of certain restrictions. So this does have to go to a court. A judge is going to have to determine what's going on. And considering the government's attitude and who they go after, I think they are going to have a few losses in this regard.