Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which owns about 200 local news outlets across the country, required its stations to air a segment defending the Border Patrol’s use of tear gas against migrants crossing the border on Sunday.
“The migrant crisis on our southern border has greatly escalated,” Sinclair political analyst and former Trump administration official Boris Epshteyn says in the “must-run” segment. “Dozens of migrants attacked U.S. border enforcement by throwing rocks and bottles. Ultimately, American authorities had to use tear gas to stop the attacks.”
On Sunday, a migrant “caravan” march escalated at the US-Mexico border in Tijuana, as desperate asylum seekers attempted to cross the border en masse. US Border Patrol agents responded by firing tear gas that spread into the crowd that included children.
During the segment, Epshteyn slammed “some on the left, such as Democrat Congresswoman Maxine Waters” who “were immediately up in arms about our president and his team standing up for our men and women in uniform and for our national security.”
“The fact of the matter is that this is an attempted invasion of our country, period,” he went on to say. “Our border must remain intact and secure. It is not a partisan position to believe that our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. However, it unfortunately appears that there are many on the left who believe it is wrong to defend our country and abide by the rule of law. I would bet that many of those same people live behind walls and locked doors but do not want to afford the same benefit to our country as a whole.”
“Here’s the bottom line,” Epshteyn concluded. “The notion that a caravan of migrants can be allowed to break through our borders is ludicrous and dangerous. The United States of America should not and cannot be intimidated by those willing to use force to get into our country illegally.”
In July, Epshteyn used his commentary “must-run” segment to defend the administration’s family-separation policy, telling viewers that, “many members of the media and opponents of the president have seized on this issue to make it seem as if those who are tough on immigration are somehow monsters. Let’s be honest: While some of the concern is real, a lot of it is politically driven by the liberals in politics and the media.”
In April, Sinclair was criticized for forcing its anchors to read a scripted promotion aimed to sow distrust in media.
NEW: Sinclair stations are now airing a Boris Epshteyn "must-run" segment defending tear-gassing children at the border. https://t.co/Xo78RMHzZV pic.twitter.com/wWaBlHO7Wc
— Pam Vogel (@pamela_vogel) November 27, 2018