By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-19 21:42:27 | Updated at 2024-11-23 15:42:36
3 days ago
A Democratic strategist left a CNN panel dumbstruck after claiming the US military would open fire on Americans who try to prevent the deportation of illegal migrants.
Julie Roginsky, 51, made the wild suggestion on CNN's NewsNight on Monday, as the panel discussed Donald Trump's approval of 'military assets' to enforce mass deportations across the country.
'I promise you with every fiber of my being, because I'll probably be one of those people, that if anyone comes for these people and tries to drag them out by force, there will be protests,' Roginsky said.
The strategist, known for co-founding nonprofit Lift Our Voices in the wake of the MeToo movement, said she would be particularly offended by children being hauled into migrant shelters.
'(US citizens) would prevent these little kids from being dragged out of these shelters,' she continued.
'What is going to happen to these people? What is going to happen to the military when the military opens fire on us?'
The remark drew gasps from Roginsky's fellow panelists, with Scott Jennings chiming in in response: 'We're way down the rabbit hole here.'
Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky left a CNN panel dumbstruck after claiming the US military could open fire on Americans who try and prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants
The panel spoke hours after Donald Trump announced he would use 'military assets' to enforce mass deportations across the country
The panel discussed Trump's planned mass deportations hours after the president-elect announced he would bring in the military to carry out the order.
Although Trump has said his plans will impact a staggering 20 million illegal immigrants, some say this number is not feasible - with his own vice president-elect JD Vance also saying the administration could instead look to deport one million a year.
Roginsky, however, claimed that the only people who would be targeted by Trump's order would be 'women and children.'
When questioned over a lack of vetting among migrants that has raised the chances a terrorist slipped into the US, Roginsky shot back: 'Stop, how do you know who it is?'
'I'm sorry, I live next to these people,' she continued.
'I can tell you, they are women and children. Are there terrorists among them? I don't know.
'But what I'm telling you right now, practically speaking, there will be American citizens who will prevent these little kids from being dragged out of these shelters.'
Roginsky's co-panelist Scott Jennings appeared exasperated as she claimed the military would shoot Americans, chiming in in response: 'We're way down the rabbit hole here'
Trump spoke frequently of his desire to deport millions of illegal immigrants from the US while on the campaign trail, and recently said he will have 'no price tag' to carry out the order
Trump spoke frequently of his desire to deport millions of illegal immigrants from the US while on the campaign trail, drawing scrutiny with his inflammatory language as he described migrants as 'poisoning the blood of our country.'
And he has showed no signs of slowing down since winning the presidential election, and earlier this month promised 'the largest deportation effort in American history.'
A report from the American Immigration Council found that deporting 1 million migrants would cost between $88 billion and $315 billion. Using an estimate of 11 million illegal immigrants living here, that would lead to an astronomical cost of $968 billion.
But in an interview with NBC News days after securing a second term in the White House, Trump vowed to make the border 'strong and powerful,' and insisted the cost would not be an obstacle.
'It's not a question of a price tag. It's not — really, we have no choice,' Trump said.
'When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they're going to go back to those countries because they're not staying here. There is no price tag.'
