CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings sparked backlash from fellow panelists Monday after defending the Trump administration’s mass deportations of illegal alien gang members affiliated with the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Agua. The heated exchange unfolded during a segment discussing reports that individuals were deported based on body art linked to the gang.
Jennings argued that violent non-citizens who enter the U.S. illegally and commit serious crimes should not be entitled to the same level of due process as American citizens. “I delineate between American citizens and everyone else,” Jennings said. “If you’ve come here and broken our laws and committed violent acts and raped and murdered and whatever, I put you in a different category.”
CNN host Abby Phillip pushed back, stating that U.S. law does not distinguish between citizens and non-citizens when it comes to due process rights. Jennings countered by asking whether those affiliated with a violent gang like Tren de Agua should be granted the same constitutional protections. The exchange intensified as panelists accused Jennings of advocating unconstitutional practices.
The controversy centers on the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport over 200 alleged Tren de Agua members to Central America without standard immigration court proceedings. The American Civil Liberties Union claims the administration used a document called the “Alien Enemies Validation Guide,” which assigns points based on indicators like gang tattoos and phrases such as “Real Hasta la Muerte.”
Phillip insisted that the government must prove gang affiliation before deporting individuals. Jennings emphasized the importance of protecting American citizens from violent foreign criminals and credited the Trump administration with aggressively removing dangerous individuals who crossed the border illegally.
A federal judge appointed under the Obama administration, James Boasberg, temporarily blocked the deportations on March 15, though some flights had already departed. The legal dispute now focuses on whether the government overstepped its authority in bypassing immigration court procedures.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that 17 violent criminals linked to Tren de Agua and MS-13 were successfully deported to El Salvador as part of a broader counter-terrorism initiative. The operation highlights the ongoing tension between border security efforts and constitutional rights debates.
