WATCH: Scott Jennings Corners Dem Lawmaker On ‘Abolish ICE’ Rhetoric
Conservative political commentator Scott Jennings could not get an answer when he repeatedly asked Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson, a Democrat, whether any illegal aliens should be deported from the United States.
The exchange occurred during a panel discussion on CNN’s NewsNight With Abby Phillip, in which Pearson called for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to be abolished. Pearson — who generated national headlines when he and two of his colleagues were briefly expelled from the Tennessee state house for inviting gun control protesters to storm the floor — is currently challenging U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) in the Volunteer State’s 9th Congressional District.
“We have to abolish ICE, we have to abolish the Customs and Border Patrol in the way they currently exist and replace them with something that actually does the work that we need for them to do, which is why we need a Congress that works and that is effective at holding these people in this administration accountable,” the far-left lawmaker said.
Jennings then interjected to ask what “work” ICE and CBP are currently doing, at which point Pearson deflected by bringing up the shootings of anti-ICE agitators Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Jennings refused to drop the question and again asked Pearson what work his hypothetical agency would be doing should ICE and CBP be abolished.
“I’m interested in your opinion. What is the work that we need them to do?” Jennings followed up. Pearson then once again refused to answer the question by redirecting to the shootings, further claiming that these agencies are “terrorizing and traumatizing our communities.”
“What we also need to make sure is that we have elected officials who are creating a pathway of opportunity for people who are currently undocumented,” he added, at which point Jennings asked whether a federal law enforcement agency was needed to deport illegal aliens.
Pearson answered by stating that an immigration agency was necessary, but stopped short of saying it should be deporting illegal aliens, once again dodging the question.
“Is there a single illegal alien that you would deport?” Jennings interjected when Pearson again started talking about legal protections for illegal aliens.
“There are a lot of people in this country and in this community, in our communities, that have done so much to make them better. And we need to be prioritizing how we create opportunity and access for them to be there,” the elected Democrat continued, to which Jennings countered with, “So the answer is no?”
He then asked whether Pearson’s position was reflective of the Democratic Party’s position in 2026, which was met with another redirect to the Minneapolis shootings.
“No deportations, that’s the Democratic position,” Jennings finally concluded from the exchange.