Conservative radio host Ben Ferguson fired back at former Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas on Monday after she compared illegal immigration to driving under the influence (DUI).
Salinas claimed on “CNN NewsNight” that entering the U.S. without the proper documentation is not a crime, even though federal law prohibits such entry without the permission of an immigration officer or a proper inspection. After she said that entering the U.S. illegally is simply a misdemeanor akin to a DUI, Ferguson argued that both a DUI and crossing the border illegally are still a violation of the nation’s laws.
“It is a misdemeanor just like a DUI is a misdemeanor,” Salinas said.
“[If I] get hit by a drunk driver and died. Don’t tell me that’s a misdemeanor when he crashed my family over going 100 miles per hour. I’m sorry, if you want to say that a DUI is somehow a misdemeanor and we should treat it like it’s not committing a criminal act, you said it’s a misdemeanor like it’s the same thing. It’s still breaking the law,” Ferguson said.
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Salinas argued that crossing the border illegally after having previously been deported is a crime, but that committing that criminal act does not make them rapists or murderers. She then falsely said that President Donald Trump said they will only deport violent criminals, though he said his administration will first prioritize deporting these types of people.
Under U.S. Code § 1325, any person who enters or attempts to enter the U.S. “at any time or place other than as designated immigration officers” or tries to enter with “false or misleading representation” has violated federal law and can face up to 6 months imprisonment for their first offense, according to Cornell Law School. If a person makes a second attempt, they can be fined or face up to 2 years in prison.
Overstaying a visa is considered an unlawful presence in the U.S. and is generally considered a civil offense.
Illegal immigrants have committed several heinous crimes in the U.S. that have resulted in the abuse and death of American citizens. One of the most high-profile cases involves 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, who had her life taken from her after a Venezuelan national who illegally entered the U.S. murdered her by causing blunt force trauma to the head.
Two Venezuelan nationals murdered 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungary in Houston, Texas, and dumped her body in a river in June 2024. Another illegal immigrant raped and murdered Rachel Morin, a mother of five children.
Wide-scale riots broke out in Los Angeles, California, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arrested at least 100 illegal immigrants in the area. Among those arrested in Los Angeles were foreign nationals convicted of heinous crimes that include second degree murder, assault with intent to commit rape, grand theft larceny and assault with a deadly weapon, according to the The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which referred to those arrested as the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
Rioters have set cars and other objects on fire, destroyed local businesses and vandalized property with mostly anti-Trump rhetoric across the city, which has led to several arrests and conflicts with law enforcement.
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