Not the children!
In its war against America’s migrant “crisis,” the hosts of Fox & Friends on Tuesday attacked a new comic book that teaches undocumented migrant children about their legal rights during an ICE raid.
“It’s advocacy for total lawlessness!” said Jedediah Bila, a Fox News contributor who was guest co-hosting the morning show.
The If ICE Comes Knocking bilingual comic series—launched by the Sacramento Immigration Coalition in a Monday press conference—is intended to teach young kids about their rights as asylum-seekers in the U.S. and keep families “safe” during encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Some tips in the illustrated pamphlet include “Don’t run” and “You have the constitutional right to not answer questions or show any identification to ICE agents.”
“Something that infuriates me as someone who used to work with kids, there’s a new comic book out, you know, [sic] What if ICE Comes Knocking, and it helps kids avoid the feds and escape,” Bila said. “What kind of message is this sending to kids? To everyone?”
In addition to the comic, the coalition is issuing a newsletter with “real stories from people who have been approached by ICE, what they did, then whether it was right or wrong and then give practical suggestions on what to do in that kind of case,” the coalition said.
Thomas Homas, former acting ICE director and a Fox regular, agreed with his co-host’s disgust, calling the comic intended to arm children with knowledge of their constitutional rights “un-American.”
“It’s a sad day in America when they create a comic book to show children how to protect their parents from law enforcement,” Homan said. “It’s un-American.”
Moments later, Homan admitted that while he has “no problem with people knowing their rights,” the comic book geared toward children is “propaganda where people are being shielded from law enforcement.”
In addition to both guides, the Sacramento Immigration Coalition announced Monday over 300 legal observers have been trained to provide support and resources to immigrants targeted by ICE.
“We have seen families who have been separated, who have been detained at their jobs, so this document is a tool to help those individuals and families, as well as their allies who want to help with the pain that immigrant communities face,” a spokesperson for the Sacramento Immigration Coalition said in the Monday press conference.
When contacted for comment, Janeth Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the Sacramento Immigration Coalition, asked “When is Fox News not misinterpreting what is happening?,” adding “Also, when did it become a crime to notify people about their rights?”
“That seems as American as it can get—to make sure everyone’s rights are upheld by the Constitution,” Rodriguez said. “The last I checked, the Constitution protects everyone regardless of their immigration status.”