Kari Lake issues new warning about Trump’s deportation plan

What’s new

Republican Kari Lake of Arizona issued a new warning on Saturday about President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan as she took aim at the media, saying they “will try to spin it” in a negative way.

Newsweek has reached out to Lake and Trump’s transition teams via email for comment,

Why it matters

Trump announced Lake, a former television news anchor, as his choice to lead the state-funded media network Voice of America (VOA) in a post to Truth Social last week, saying he expected Lake to use her position to to counter “the Fake News Media.”

VOA produces news content for the international market, including broadcasts broadcast in dozens of foreign languages.

During Trump’s first term, Politico reported on concerns that he was trying to turn the VOA into a propaganda machine. His decision to hand control of the outlet to Lake, who has notably pushed pro-Trump falsehoods regarding his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, could spark similar criticism in his second term.

This comes as Trump is set to resume office next month, where he is expected to implement a series of tough immigration policies, including mass deportations, designed to crack down on illegal migration.

What to know

During a Saturday appearance at AmericaFest in Phoenix, Lake spoke about Trump’s deportation plan.

“We’re sending people back to their homeland and we’re going to free our country from the citizens of this country, but we’ve got to make sure they (the media) don’t spin it. You know they’re going to try to spin it, and they’re going to try to make it look like the worst thing in the world,” Lake said.

She added: “I see it as people going back to their homeland. They want to go there and make their homeland better and we want to make our homeland better…We’re going to have to push back when the fake news tries to take everything that President Trump is going to try to do to make our country great, and they’re going to try to spin it the opposite way.”

Lake, a staunch Trump supporter and 2020 re-electionist, has reiterated his stance on tough immigration policies during her U.S. Senate run in Arizona. Lake lost to Democrat Ruben Gallego in last month’s election. She also lost the 2022 race for Arizona governor to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

The president-elect’s mass deportation plan has come under scrutiny as some lawmakers have expressed concern over the potential sweeping approach rather than a more targeted program to remove migrant criminals.

What people say

Twenty-six GOP governors signed a letter declaring that they “stand united in support” of Trump’s plans to protect American citizens from “disastrous open border policies.”

Among those who signed were Texas’ Greg Abbott, South Carolina’s Henry McMaster and Florida’s Ron DeSantis.

“When the Biden administration refused to secure our borders and uphold the rule of law, it was Republican governors who took action,” the letter read. “We mobilized government resources, including law enforcement and National Guard units, to protect Americans from disastrous open border policies and prevent illegal immigration from overwhelming our country.”

In contrast Democratic governors and mayors have vowed to protect undocumented migrants in their communities by using sanctuary laws that have prevented local officials and law enforcement from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Many of the governors and city mayors who have signaled they plan to oppose the plans have expressed concern about the logistics of such an operation, which would seek to target at least 11 million undocumented migrants.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said during a recent news conference“I won’t tolerate misguided policies that don’t actually help the critical work that’s happening here that you see here today that actually keeps our communities safe and secure. I won’t tolerate terrorizing communities or threatening Arizonans. “

What happens next

As Trump resumes office next month, preparations are already underway by the incoming administration to carry out his immigration agenda.

Trump is expected to sign a number of executive orders on “Day 1” of his presidency, focusing on mass deportations and increased border security – key promises of his successful campaign.

Meanwhile, Lake must be appointed by the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that oversees VOA, before she starts her position.