Fox News hosts mock a gay deportee in cruel display of homophobia
The Trump Administration mistakenly deported a Venezuelan asylum-seeker. While this situation is indefensible, Fox News‘ Jesse Watters callously dismissed the concern on an episode of The Five.
The Five co-host Jessica Tarlov spoke against deporting undocumented migrants to El Salvador. She was concerned about their human rights while detained in El Salvador’s notorious prison system. “Oh, am I boring you again? I’m sorry,” Tarlov asked Watters, who cut her off.
“No, but you’ve been talking about this gay barber from El Salvador with some stupid tattoo for weeks. Weeks, Jessica. It’s just a gay barber,” Watters whined. The issue to him was salvageable. “He’s just an innocent guy who got swept up in deportation, and hopefully, we get it figured out and straightened up.” To Watters, the case wasn’t particularly special because he believes that many people in the United States get arrested and falsely accused. That example doesn’t necessarily make Watters’ defense of the Trump administration any better.
Through the weeks, Trump and his allies have been claiming that the deportees are members of dangerous gangs. They’ve convinced the public, particularly their supporters, that mass deportations against ‘dangerous’ migrants are a necessary evil. In the process, the Trump administration was even willing to defy a court order against a deportation flight by a federal judge.
Watters’ example doesn’t fit precisely because people in the United States are afforded due process. While there are those falsely accused, the court system is often efficient at determining the facts. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been wrongfully arresting migrants—including those with proper documentation. When Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, he and his administration became the sole arbiters of who are the ‘enemies’—in this case, who should be deported. Whether they’re long-term legal residents doesn’t matter.
A failure of the Trump administration
31-year-old makeup artist and hairdresser Andrys José Hernández Romero had a prearranged asylum appointment in San Diego. Romero is a gay man who sought asylum in the United States due to persecution against his political beliefs and sexual orientation. US authorities wrongfully attributed his tattoos to gang membership with a Venezuelan gang, and he was flown to an El Salvador prison on March 15.
This isn’t about “just a gay barber.” This is happening to other legal migrants in the United States. Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national with protected status, was deported to El Salvador under allegations of being part of a gang. He fled El Salvador because of gang violence, and his return to the country may put his life at risk. Just like Romero, Garcia also did not have access to legal counsel.
The matter may be a snoozefest to Jesse Watters, but both issues are yet to be resolved. Neither Romero nor Garcia has been brought home to the United States. For that reason, it’s all the more important to speak of both cases until the Trump administration rectifies its decision to deport two innocent men.
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