Geraldo Rivera and Jeanine Pirro clash over the necessity for migrant workers

Yahoo Entertainment

On Hannity Thursday night, Geraldo Rivera and Jeanine Pirro got into a heated battle over the necessity of undocumented migrant workers in the United States. Rivera has long been empathetic toward undocumented immigrants, which has led to many clashes with his Fox News compatriots who do not share his empathy. While the discussion Thursday started civil enough, it quickly devolved into Rivera and Pirro just trying to yell over each other, or even at each other.

While Pirro argued that, with millions of Americans unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic, they should be given the jobs these migrant workers are doing. Rivera argued that Americans are not going to work the fields like migrant workers do. Rivera’s ace in the hole was the fact that undocumented migrant workers were deemed essential by the Trump administration last year just as the pandemic was beginning to pick up steam.

“They were feeding America,” Rivera said. “When we were afraid to go to the corner store, how do you think the lettuce and the broccoli and onions were getting there? Because these people were risking their lives to pick the fruits and vegetables that were feeding Americans during the height of the pandemic.”

Video Transcript

GERALDO RIVERA: They were deemed essential workers a year ago. A year ago, during the height of the pandemic they were deemed essential workers.

JEANINE PIRRO: Trump made an exception--

GERALDO RIVERA: Are they-- are they less essential--

JEANINE PIRRO: --for illegals.

GERALDO RIVERA: --now than they were then?

JEANINE PIRRO: No!

GERALDO RIVERA: We have to be balanced.

KYLIE MAR: Fox News correspondent at large Geraldo Rivera and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro went at it on "Hannity" Thursday night over the necessity of undocumented migrant workers in the United States. While Pirro fervently argued against workers coming in due to high unemployment, the numbers she used to argue her points were from last year, and grossly overstated the issue.

GERALDO RIVERA: We have to be realistic about the border.

JEANINE PIRO: We've got 17 million Americans out of work. We do not need illegals. We need Americans to work.

GERALDO RIVERA: 17 million Americans who are out of work are not going to go back to picking lettuce. They're not going to go back to the meat packing plants or the poultry processing plants. You're being unrealistic.

KYLIE MAR: While it's not uncommon for Rivera to be the odd man out in heated battles with his Fox News compatriots over the issue of immigration, as usual, he found a few seconds of peace to make his point.

GERALDO RIVERA: They were feeding America when we were afraid to go to the corner store. How do you think the lettuce was getting there, the broccoli was getting in there, the onions were getting there? Because these people were risking their lives to pick the fruits and vegetables that were feeding Americans during the height of the pandemic.

KYLIE MAR: But Pirro wasn't buying it, just like she wasn't buying the fact that the Trump administration deemed undocumented migrant workers essential last year as the coronavirus pandemic picked up steam.

GERALDO RIVERA: For generations-- for generations, the two countries-- they did risk their lives for us. That's why they were deemed essential.

JEANINE PIRO: For us?

GERALDO RIVERA: Now, listen, I think the children are a real humanitarian crisis.

JEANINE PIRO: If they were deemed essential-- OK.

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