Live on air, Geraldo Rivera calls out Fox News’ coverage of migrant caravan: ‘You’re suspending your humanity because they look different’

In an unexpected moment that went against the narrative perpetuated by conservative media outlets, Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera slammed the anti-immigrant rhetoric emanating from certain pundits, some presumably from his own network.

In a segment on The Five this Monday, Fox host Jesse Waters criticized the media’s coverage of the caravan’s arrival at the U.S.-Mexico border, suggesting that outlets are giving a sympathetic view towards the men, woman, and children seeking asylum in the U.S.

But Rivera wasn’t buying it.

“I refuse to deal with this as a media issue, because it’s far too important, with all due respect, Jesse. This is something that goes to the very quick. This goes to my soul. Fulfilling my role as the designated pinata on Fox News, I am ashamed. This tear gas choked me,” Rivera said.

“We treat these people, these economic refugees as if they’re zombies from ‘The Walking Dead,'” he continued. “We arrested 42 people, eight of them were women — with children. We have to deal with this problem humanely and with compassion. These are not ‘invaders.’ Stop using these military analogies. This is absolutely painful to watch.”

Rivera went on to point out that the caravan simply consists of desperate people, not the criminals and “rapists” that right-wing media, including President Trump, have claimed.

“We are a nation of immigrants. These are desperate people, they walked 2000 miles—why? Because they want to rape your daughter or steal your lunch? No. Because they want a job. They want to fill the millions of unfilled jobs we have in the agricultural sector. They want to wash dishes in restaurants, they want to deliver the pizzas. For goodness sake, we suspend our humanity when it comes to this issue and I fear that it is because they look different than we do.”

Rivera’s rant was on the forefront of his mind, as evidenced by a tweet he fired off shortly before he appeared on the segment.

“[One] last thought before I become Designated Piñata on @TheFive,” he tweeted Monday afternoon. “We must stop demonizing desperate economic refugees. We treat them as if they were escaped felons or zombies from the Walking Dead. They are poor people looking for work & a better life. Criminals don’t need caravans.”

Earlier that morning, he tweeted that the Border Patrol’s use of tear gas on migrants made him “nauseous.”

“The gassing of #MigrantCaravan made me nauseous,” he tweeted. “Those images may play [with] the base, but they will also be a scar on our nation’s reputation. A hungry, frightened family will not stop trying to get to a better life. No, we can’t accommodate all, but we can be humane & compassionate.”

Watch Monday’s exchange below:

https://twitter.com/TheTimJennings/status/1067308358347059200

Featured image via screen grab/YouTube

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.