Stephen A's Take: Biden Pardon People | Trump ended migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show – Episode Summary: "Stephen A's Take: Biden Pardon People | Trump Ended Migrants Seeking Asylum in the U.S."

Release Date: January 22, 2025

In this thought-provoking episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, host Stephen A. Smith delves deep into the intertwined immigration policies of recent U.S. administrations, examining the impacts of President Donald Trump's abrupt termination of the CBP1 program and President Joe Biden's extensive use of pardons. Smith offers his unfiltered perspectives, critically analyzing the actions and motivations behind these significant political moves while addressing broader societal and systemic issues.

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1. Trump's Termination of the CBP1 Program

Timestamp: [01:04]

Stephen A. Smith begins by addressing the immediate and devastating effects of President Donald Trump's decision to discontinue the CBP1 app, a tool that facilitated the legal entry of nearly one million migrants into the United States by granting them work eligibility. Smith highlights the human toll of this abrupt policy shift:

"You’re going to see an abundance of Mexican citizens crying... you really got to question their humanity." (01:04)

Smith criticizes supporters of Trump's decision who express joy over the termination, labeling their reactions as a lack of humanity in the face of migrants' suffering. He emphasizes the necessity of this "cruel" action to curb illegal immigration, arguing that open borders have led to significant economic strain:

"That's cruel. This is so unfortunate, this is so sad. But necessary." (03:30)

2. Biden's Pardons and Immigration Approach

Timestamp: [04:48]

Transitioning to President Joe Biden's administration, Smith scrutinizes Biden's approach to immigration and justice, particularly his pardoning of over 2,500 individuals for nonviolent offenses shortly after taking office. He connects this to the broader issue of open borders implemented by Biden:

"Joe Biden... pardoning or granting clemency to over 2500 people for nonviolent offenses... if you didn’t have open borders your first week on the job in 2021." (04:48)

Smith argues that Biden's policies have contributed to the current challenges at the U.S. borders, suggesting that without such leniency, the situation might not have deteriorated to its present state.

3. Comparative Analysis: Trump, Biden, and Obama on Immigration and Law Enforcement

Timestamp: [05:27 – 06:15]

Smith provides a comparative analysis of the immigration policies across different administrations. He acknowledges that while both Trump and Obama took tough stances on immigration, Trump's efforts were overshadowed by Obama's prior actions as "the deporter in chief." Smith contends that Obama quietly enforced deportation policies without the publicity Trump sought:

"Barack Obama... was the deporter in chief... he didn't allow folks to come en masse into our country." (05:02)

He points out that despite Trump's aggressive rhetoric and actions, such as building a border wall (albeit only 2% completion), the groundwork laid by previous administrations made it challenging for Trump to fully realize his campaign promises.

4. Systemic Racism and Policies Affecting Minorities

Timestamp: [08:00 – 11:31]

Smith shifts focus to systemic racism and its interplay with political policies. He criticizes both Trump's and Biden's administrations for actions that adversely affect minority communities. Addressing social issues, he highlights how Biden's policies, including pardons, have disproportionately impacted Black communities:

"He made sure he... pardon or granting clemency to over 2500 people... not to mention all of his family members." (04:54)

Further, Smith discusses the historical context of systemic racism, referencing Joe Biden's past associations and the influence of the Congressional Black Caucus on his policies:

"Gotta bring that up... How the Congressional Black Caucus has something to do with persuading Joe Biden..." (10:40)

He also touches upon the inconsistent enforcement of policies related to transgender rights and the broader implications for societal stability:

"Woke culture didn't exist where people had to make sure they echoed the right pronoun... considered to be transphobic." (13:20)

5. Media Control and Critique of Progressive Narratives

Timestamp: [12:07 – 14:34]

Addressing concerns about media influence, Smith critiques progressive figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), interpreting her statements as attempts to control media narratives and suppress dissenting viewpoints:

"AOC... Republicans really model themselves after Orban's Hungary... control media and companies in the United States." (12:24)

He argues that the left employs tactics to dictate social narratives, leading to a polarized society where conservatives are unfairly labeled as extremists:

"Republicans that we need to be worried about, but not y'all... Oh, my goodness. It would never be you." (14:18)

6. Economic Implications of Immigration and Federal Policies

Timestamp: [16:51 – 20:30]

Smith delves into the economic ramifications of immigration policies, criticizing the allocation of federal funds. He outlines how resources are diverted to address immigration-related issues at the expense of essential services for American citizens:

"We have enough money to let in 14 million immigrants illegally... We got enough money to throw billions to Ukraine." (16:51)

Further, he discusses the systemic barriers faced by minorities in the economic landscape, emphasizing the need for individuals to navigate a rigged system dominated by white power brokers:

"The system is rigged... power brokers that be, almost all of whom are white... designed to make sure they're going to get theirs." (18:38)

7. Conclusion: A Call for Independence and Systemic Change

Timestamp: [20:04 – End]

In his concluding remarks, Smith calls for independence from the entrenched political dichotomy between the left and the right. He urges listeners to prioritize personal and national well-being over partisan conflicts:

"Independence is the way to go. The hell with the right and the left. Do what's best for you and do what's best for this country." (21:00)

Smith emphasizes the necessity of moving beyond toxic political narratives to forge a path that genuinely serves the interests of the American populace.

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Notable Quotes:

• On the Humanity of Migrants: "Anybody who speaks on this subject in favor of Donald Trump's decision with glee... you really, really need to question their humanity." (03:30)

• On Open Borders Impact: "We got enough money to let in 14 million immigrants illegally... but we don't have enough money to address American needs." (16:51)

• On Systemic Racism: "Black people make up nearly 14% of this population... more important than issues pertaining to black people. It seemed." (16:24)

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Final Thoughts:

Stephen A. Smith delivers a compelling critique of recent immigration policies and their broader societal implications. By juxtaposing actions of the Trump and Biden administrations, he underscores the complexities of immigration reform, systemic racism, and political polarization in the United States. His call for independence from partisan strife resonates as a plea for more nuanced and effective governance that prioritizes the nation's true needs over political agendas.

For listeners seeking an in-depth analysis of U.S. immigration policies and their societal impacts, this episode offers valuable insights and unfiltered opinions that challenge conventional narratives.

Transcript

[Unknown Speaker]

Big shout out to you for making it through the hectic holiday season this new year. Get Clean Quality Pregnancy nutrient support off your to do list, including Ritual's best selling Essential Prenatal multivitamin designed with 12 traceable key ingredients to support a healthy pregnancy. With big changes coming up, take the small steps now and start today with 30% off a three month [e-mail] podcast these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Unknown Speaker]

I want to make sure that as I go forward, everybody knows that I'm not getting personal and I'm not personally attacking anyone. I might attack what you say and how you feel and what you expressed, but I'm not going to attack you. And I'm certainly wasn't attacking Keith Boykin. I wasn't attacking anybody. Having said that, let me get to a more sensitive issue. Because if you go on video right now, if you scan the digital stratosphere, social media and beyond, you're going to see footage and pictures of Mexicans waiting for appointments for the CPB1 app as basically border patrol and people trying to come into the country or what have you. You're going to see an abundance of Mexican citizens crying. For anybody who enjoys that, who speaks of that with glee, with a smile on their face, you really got to question their humanity. Because what's happened to them is incredibly unfortunate. Upon being inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States within the hour, President Donald Trump discontinued the CPB one, apparently leaving migrants in Mexico heartbroken. Reading from the report here, with many reportedly seen crying after their appointments were canceled, coming in heavily to deliver his promise of restricting immigration into the United States, Donald Trump banned the CBP1 app that facilitated the legal entry of nearly 1 million people into the United States by granting them work eligibility. The decision was announced just minutes after Trump was sworn in as the 47th president. The impact of this move was immediate as people in Mexico who were waiting for this CBP1 parole appointments were reportedly left devastated upon hearing the news. According to a post shared on X by a gentleman by the name of Arellis R. Hernandez, a journalist with the Washington Post, some migrants in Mexico were seen crying when they learned that the appointments were no longer valid. The denied entry. I'm going to repeat what I said seconds ago. Anybody who speaks on this subject in favor of Donald Trump's decision with glee, with joy coming out of their mouth, with their facial expressions, in their heart and soul, you really, really need to question their humanity. This is cruel. This is so unfortunate, this is so sad. But necessary. You see, when we're talking, and this is one of the problems that exist in politics, see, the one side only talks about the other side and what they do wrong. You ain't talking about what they did right. You're not talking about the wrong that they committed. That was a necessary wrong. You see, that's what happens when you let, when you allow 14 million immigrants to enter the country illegally.

If you didn't do that, Joe Biden, who, by the way, made sure he.

Departed out of office pardoning or granting clemency to over 2500 people for nonviolent.

Offenses, not to mention all of his family members. All of them. All of them. Okay, Made sure they couldn't be touched. If you didn't have open borders your first week on the job in 2021.

It might not have come to this.

You see, Trump talked a lot of smack, and this is the part that.

He'S not giving credit for. He talked a lot of smack about mass immigration and deportation and stuff like.

That in his first term. He even talked about ending birthright, citizenry, citizenship. Remember that? But what did he actually do? He talked about building a wall, a great big wall, and the Mexicans are going to pay for it. And then they deduced that he probably built about 2% of the wall. You know why?

He couldn't get things done to the.

Degree that he had portended and had campaigned on back in 2016?

Because Barack Obama was the deporter in chief.

He didn't advertise it, but he wasn't having it. He didn't allow folks to come en masse into our country. Nobody else allows it but us. Nobody. You can't go into Mexico like that. You can't go into Venezuela like that. You can't go anywhere in this world with those kind of open borders that Joe Biden okayed. Barack Obama didn't do it. And the reason why Trump had a hard time was because Barack Obama was the deporter in chief. They said he just didn't advertise it. He didn't boast or brag about it. But had he done it, had he not done it, I'm sorry. Then Trump could have lived up to his campaign promises. But you know why Trump couldn't do that when he was in office? First go round? Because he would have mirrored Barack Obama or looked worse. We have to pay attention to what's going on. I bring up what Mr. Boykin said on CNN. Why? Because you're talking about what respect you have or lack thereof for black people who would perform at the inauguration. So obviously you feel the same way about people who voted for Trump. I did neither. I did neither. But when are you gonna understand?

And I know you do, sir.

Just like I know my man Roland Martin does. Y'all know this better than me. This is y'all lane. It's not my lane compared to y'all. I got that part. Some people try to sit up there and say, Joe Biden deported more people than Donald Trump. Whatever. You opened the borders. 14 million people crossed. It cost this country billions, which is a subject we'll get into in just a second. But the reason why I brought up what we got to start doing. We can't keep talking about the right. We can't keep talking about conservatives. We can't keep talking about what a danger Donald Trump is to our society without mentioning the left, meaning Biden. You want to bring up the Central park case?

Donald Trump was clearly wrong, should have apologized.

But we all know that when that was broached, particularly during the Democratic National Convention and the campaign trail, it was used as a tool to point to what some would deem racial insensitivity or racist behavior. When America was worried about their own wallets, they don't care. Because the vast majority of Americans are still white in this country. Hispanics don't make up 30% of the population. Blacks don't make up 50% of the population. It's still a predominantly white society. That's not going to fly with them anymore because they got their own bills to worry about and they own streets to worry about. Walking in, they ain't falling for it. So we got that issue you brought up, Donald Trump and being a landlord and not wanting to rent to black folks.

Did you mention Joe Biden and his.

Relationship with segregationist Robert Byrd.

West Virginia.

KKK member, to bring that up? See, if you bring up Donald Trump with that. You got to bring that up. If you bring up Donald Trump with that, you got to bring up Joe Biden, Senator, prominent senator, with Clinton's crime bill that was widely accused of contributing to mass incarceration that disproportionately affected black people in this nation. Got to bring that up, at least. Did you forget to bring that up, or did you not want to point.

Out how the Congressional Black Caucus has something to do with persuading Joe Biden to take the positions that he took as a senator at that particular moment in time in the 90s, when Bill Clinton was in office? You got to mention it. Did you have any problem with Joe.

Biden going on the Breakfast Club and.

Trying to define who was black and.

Who wasn't in terms of you choosing him or Biden?

If you.

If you don't vote for me, you vote for Trump. You ain't black.

We can't have it both ways is all I'm saying. And right now, that's what got the Democrats booted out of office. That's what has them being the minority in the House and the Senate and how they've lost the White House.

Yeah, there's something on social media right.

Now with Elon Musk and giving a.

Nazi sign not once but twice. You're hearing about Trump and how he's determined to do away with entitlement programs and what have you. And you've got minorities in this country wondering what the hell is going on. First you're attacking immigration, and then you're attacking entitlement programs. So everything is going to be catered to white people. I already know what everybody's saying. I'm not here to say you wrong. We gonna see. We gonna see.

But while we looking to see what Trump does, we already know what the left has done, which is why we've tired of hearing stuff like this. From Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, better known as aoc. Take a listen.

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]

Well, we are on the eve of an authoritarian administration. This is what 21st century fascism is starting to look like. Republicans really model themselves after Orban's Hungary. And so you can look to see how Viktor Orban runs Hungary to get a taste of how they will try to govern and control media and companies in the United States. And this is kind of an entree to that as far as what we do, you know, some this. This is a time of experimentation. A lot of people will still use platforms, can still use platforms, but I also look towards places where you have more ownership as well. And develop your audiences there like blue sky. You own your audiences at protocol, decentralized protocol.

[Unknown Speaker]

Did you say control the media aoc, by the way, I appreciate your work. I appreciate what you do for your constituencies in the Bronx, but your constituency in the Bronx. But did you talk about controlling the media? Is that what you brought up? So the left has had no control, huh? So the left has not engaged in bullying tactics. A woke culture didn't exist where people had to make sure they echoed the right pronoun in order to keep their job security. Where you had to sit up there and God forbid you literally challenged somebody with regards to transgender issues and you were considered to be transphobic. Where one minute we were called upon to protect the young ladies and the women in our society, and then that got thrown out the window the second a male was transitioning to female and wanted to participate in female sports. And then all of a sudden, it wasn't any consistency with the stuff that.

Had been being spew beforehand and ultimately enforced. So that is the Republicans that we need to be worried about, but not y'all. Y'all would never do such a thing. Oh, my goodness. It would never be you. It would never be y'all. That would never happen. Huh? Really? Really?

This is exactly why Trump is in office. Racist, fascist, and all of these other names.

Yeah, that's what you do when you're on the left. Not paying attention to the fact that a vast majority of American people tired of that. When you gonna tell us a message we want to hear? When you gonna tell us a message we need to hear? Right now? Let me read to you. Read to you from the Wall Street Journal today. Allow me to put on my reading glasses and read this to you verbatim from the Wall Street Journal. President Trump plans to sign executive orders to overhaul border and energy policies and end diversity programs across the federal government. Unwinding signature Biden administration policies on the first day of his second term. Trump's immigration plans include ending birth, citizenship, deploying troops, and declaring a national emergency at the southern border, as well as ending asylum by speeding deportations. Trump said as he was sworn in on Monday, quote, with these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense. Those were his words.

What ammunition would he have to say such a thing? How about everything I pointed out? Trump didn't win the election. You all lost.

You put him in there. And let me get real raw with this. It got so bad with Biden in.

Office, Racism was thrown aside.

Transgender issues don't make up 1% of this population. Black people make up nearly 14% of this population. And for a vast majority of the last few years, that issue has been more important than issues pertaining to black people.

It seemed.

That is. That is just the truth.

And I didn't even bring up the money. We don't have money for police officers. We don't have money to keep the streets safe. We don't have money to make sure there's no inflation or that if there is inflation, it doesn't drastically affect us because you got enough people in America making a hard earned, honest, fruitful living. But we got enough money to let in 14 million immigrants illegally. We got enough money for $53 million in prepaid credit cards in the state of New York. We got enough money to allow 17 cities in the United States to be sanctuary cities at least. We got enough money to throw billions to Ukraine.

We got enough money for all of.

That, but we don't have enough money to address American needs. I've said to y'all on repeated occasion, what is my ultimate claim to success? It happened in 2009 when I got. And I had to take a long, hard look on myself, at myself. It's in my book, Straight Shooter, A Memoir, Second Chances of First Takes. You really should read it. It's very motivational and inspirational. You really should check it out. What did I say back then? An epiphany hit me. And I learned to wake up every day because 99% of us have a boss.

And I learned to wake up every day and learned that my mantra is, how do I make my bosses more money?

How do I get some of it? Because the system is rigged, ladies and gentlemen. The power brokers that be, almost all of whom are white, have designed a system to ensure they're going to get theirs.

And in order for you to get.

Yours even while you're getting yours, they gonna get theirs.

You just saw me talking about Drake and Kendrick Lamar the other day, both of them under the Universal Music Group umbrella.

You don't think there's white folks in power at the Universal Music Group umg? You don't think so? You don't think all these artists out here that's making money, there's somebody white near the top or at the top that's making sure they get their share. Agents, lawyers, accountants. The system is designed to make sure they get paid. The trick is figuring out how you get paid, too. And what the Democrats did over the last few years was somehow managed to figure out a way to convince you somehow, someway, you are going to omit.

Eliminate and eradicate them and have the fruits of your labor all to yourself. And the Trump administration is a declaration of the obvious. Hold on.

Not so fast. Our system don't work that way.

You can go ahead and get yours.

We gon get ours. We ain't gonna sit here doling out all of this money with one thing after another that ultimately compromises our pockets instead of bloat them. That's what happened. That's the truth. And the comeuppance arrived to the left because what they tried to do was eliminate an entire system of government that the American people are not only comfortable with, but addicted to. And everything you see right now is them reminding you of that. That's why Trump and his administration teased Biden out the door, showing a picture of him in the White House and an eviction notice. It's why Elon Musk is up there doing whatever damn symbols and signals he's doing. It's why change came. And as alarming as the change is, it seemed closer to most American citizens to normalcy than what we've been experiencing the past four years. This ain't about the right anymore. It's about what the left tried to turn this nation into and guilted us and fear mongered us and intimidated us into supporting no more. No more. Independence is the way to go. The hell with the right and the left. Do what's best for you and do what's best for this country. Bump what they think, what they feel, or how you should be. Enough's enough. Independence is the way to go. Because of that reason more than anything else.

Big shout out to you for making it through the hectic holiday season this new year. Get clean quality pregnancy nutrient support off your to do list, including Ritual's best selling Essential Prenatal Multivitamin, designed with 12 traceable key ingredients to support a healthy pregnancy. With big changes coming up, take the small steps now and start today with 30% off a three month [e-mail] podcast. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday, keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.