CNN's Paul Begala: Expected CBP head is an 'idiot' for saying he can look at a migrant and tell if they will join MS-13

With Mark Morgan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reportedly President Trump's pick to head Customs and Border Protection, comments Morgan made on Fox News earlier this year are receiving attention, with one Democratic strategist calling his words "hateful" and "racist."

Morgan appeared on Tucker Carlson's show in January, and declared that while visiting detention facilities holding undocumented migrants, he "walked up to these individuals, so-called minors 17 or under, and I've looked at 'em and I've looked at their eyes, and I've said, 'That is a soon-to-be MS-13 gang member.' It's unequivocal."

While discussing the remarks with CNN's Jake Tapper on Tuesday afternoon, network commentator and Democratic strategist Paul Begala didn't bite his tongue. "What an idiot," he said. "Is he like The Amazing Kreskin? He can look in the eyes of a child and decide whether he's going to be a gang member? He's going to be running this?" What's happening to children in detention centers is "inhumane," Begala continued, and for Morgan to "say something that hateful, that racist, about children, that's really shocking." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up