In a shocking and inflammatory statement, Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) unleashed a barrage of criticism against migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, branding them as “garbage.”
The remarks were made during an interview with Larry Kudlow on Fox Business’s “Kudlow,” where Tuberville transitioned from discussing Vice President Harris’s candidacy to attacking the recent influx of immigrants.
“I mean, how can you put somebody in charge of a situation where you let 15, possibly even 20 million people come into our country? Now some of these people are good, but most of them are garbage. They come from jails and prisons in other countries,” Tuberville asserted.
The senator doubled down on his claims, echoing widely debunked assertions commonly touted by Republicans, including exaggerated figures on migrant numbers and baseless accusations that Latin American nations are purposefully dispatching criminals to the border.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data reveals a staggering 8.4 million encounters with foreign nationals at the Southwest border from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2024, underscoring the severity of the situation.
Critics have been swift to denounce Tuberville’s comments as reckless and dangerous. Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson clarified that the responsibility for border management squarely lies with the Department of Homeland Security, not Vice President Harris, despite Republican efforts to designate her as Biden’s “border czar.”
Furthermore, Tuberville’s assertion that a majority of migrants originate from jails and prisons abroad mirrors previous unfounded claims made by former President Trump. Such assertions have been widely discredited by fact-checkers, who highlight the absence of evidence supporting these inflammatory allegations.
Critics swiftly took to social media to denounce the senator’s remarks, with many labeling his comments as derogatory and divisive.
Watch the interview and some of the reactions below:
Stunning. MAGA Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville says “most” migrants are “garbage”. (Video: Fox Business) pic.twitter.com/JyCOG9ofdK
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) July 23, 2024
Tommy Tuberville suffers from untreated CTE — every time the doctors try to tell him the diagnosis, he calls them racists and storms out of the building.
— Abraxsys (@Abraxsys) July 24, 2024
Damn they know they are going to lose 😂
— 🇺🇸Racin1819🇺🇦 (@Bradley_Martin0) July 23, 2024
That's funny. We feel the same way about him!!!
What a coincidence— Kate (@Lessafetoday08) July 24, 2024
Tuberville is absolutely GARBAGE! 🗑️ Bottom of the barrel trash!
— ProudLiberal2.0 (@ProudLiberal2_0) July 23, 2024
No Tuberville is garbage. 99% immigrants are just good people women and children and husbands looking for a better life just like all of our immigrant relatives were.
Republicans are just denigrating the immigrants because they’re trying to make it an issue that helps them win…
— Tony (@tonyggir) July 24, 2024
He's obviously projecting. pic.twitter.com/LuRarcZVaQ
— Dwayne Walton (@23dwayne) July 23, 2024
HATE is sickening.
— PC (@PC41563323) July 23, 2024
Wow. And he’s Christian too.
— Laffytaffy55 (@Laff5577) July 23, 2024
