Republican Senator Outright Rejects, Initially Couldn’t Even Comprehend, Trump’s Plan to Imprison Americans in El Salvador

Republican Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) joined Fox News on Tuesday and was asked to weigh in on President Donald Trump telling the network’s Spanish version that “homegrown” criminals should be jailed in El Salvador alongside migrants.

“I want to immediately get your thoughts on this, as we’ve got this brand new sound from President Trump, who is sitting down with Rachel Campos Duffy at 4 o’clock Eastern time on the Fox Spanish Channel (FOX Noticias). And he said this on that. Could we use it for violent criminals, our own violent criminals?” anchor Sandra Smith began, before playing the clip:

I call them homegrown criminals, the ones that grew up and something went wrong and they hit people over the head with a baseball bat. We have and push people into subways just before the train gets there like you see happening sometimes. We are looking into it and we want to do it. I would love to do that.

“Well, Senator Kennedy, you are a smart legal mind, do you have any problem with that?” Smith asked.
“None. I think the president’s right. If you’re in our country illegally, you’re a criminal,” Kennedy replied, apparently not understanding Trump was talking about U.S. citizens – something he has mentioned repeatedly in recent weeks.

“Illegal immigration is illegal. Duh. And I think there are plenty of laws, which President Biden ignored, that allow us to deport you. I mean, to me, it’s just straightforward. And people who oppose that approach, it seems to me, are not being intellectually honest; they just ought to go ahead and admit they support open borders,” Kennedy concluded.

Kennedy was then asked for his thoughts on yesterday’s court ruling out of Boston. After a quick back and forth, Smith tried again, “OK, so, senator, could I circle back there to what we heard from the president? And I wouldn’t just say if they’re here illegally, I think the point that he’s being challenged on is likely to come up in the White House press briefing room there is whether or not you agree with the president’s suggestion of sending U.S.-born, U.S. citizens accused and who have committed crimes to notorious prisons like the one in El Salvador.”

“You mean sending them to foreign countries? No, I don’t agree with that,” answered Kennedy, taken by surprise.

“Alright, so let’s move on to another big topic that’s going to come up with the White House Press Briefing Room, and that is going to be China, and the heat is definitely turning up on tariffs,” Smith said, moving on.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.