ABC poured themselves a big glass of strawberry whine during Wednesday’s World News Tonight as they clutched their pearls over video of ICE agents chasing illegal immigrants through a strawberry field in southern California. Treating it as though they were watching a real life scenario of The Most Dangerous Game, anchor David Muir and chief national correspondent Matt Gutman were distressed by the video as they hyped the protesters and a liberal mayor claiming illegal immigrants were “Americans.”
“And tonight here, the images of ICE agents chasing farm workers through the fields and the arrests at a meat packing plant,” Muir announced near the top of the newscast.
Celebrating the “outrage” from protesters and rioters, Muir reiterated the supposed horror of the strawberry field chase and the arrests at a meat packing plant:
And tonight here, new images of what protesters say is fueling their outrage. ICE agents chasing farm workers through a strawberry field. This is Oxnard, California, making arrests there. Protesters trying to stop agents arriving at a meat production plant. This is playing out in Omaha, Nebraska. Dozens of workers were handcuffed with zip ties and taken away on a bus.
Calling video of the slow-speed chase through the field “jarring,” Gutman touted other video of protesters jumping onto the hood of a moving ICE vehicle in an attempt to obstruct the arrests at a meat packing plant:
GUTMAN: And tonight, those jarring images from southern California, ICE agents filmed chasing farm workers through strawberry fields around 6:00 A.M. Tuesday. And in Omaha, Nebraska, the state's largest yet immigration sweep targeting a meat production plant. Dozens arrested there.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN 1: They just came in and said that it was a raid and we had to get everybody out of production.
GUTMAN: Outside the plant, protesters jumping on a vehicle to try to stop law enforcement.
Highlighting “dramatic surveillance video appearing to show federal agents boxing in this car, reportedly using tear gas on the passengers, and detaining the driver,” Gutman scoffed at “The Department of Homeland Security saying in a statement the suspect was wanted for punching an officer.”
Gutman also lionized how “30 southern California mayors” came together to oppose ICE operations in California, failing to disclose that they were all Democrats. He plucked out one particular mayor who suggested that the U.S. military was doing the bidding of a dictator and claimed the illegal immigrants were “Americans”:
GUTMAN: In an emotional press conference, 30 southern California mayors coming together. Arturo Flores, the mayor of Huntington Park, and a combat veteran, appealing to the military.
MAYOR ARTURO FLORES (D-CA): These are Americans. And when we lifted our hands and we swore the oath to defend the Constitution and defend this country, that oath was to the American people. It was not to a dictator. It was not to a tyrant. It was not to a president. It was to the American people.
More on the deployment of the National Guard and Marines, Gutman huffed that “Trump's decision to activate about 4,800 troops” meant more were deployed to California that “Iraq and Afghanistan.” But of course, there were more deployed to California than Afghanistan; the U.S. withdrew from there years ago.
Seemingly looking to talk about strawberry fields forever, Gutman revisited their pearl clutching as he wrapped the segment: “David, I just got off with Governor Newsom's team who tells me he was particularly disturbed to see the images of ICE agents chasing those farm workers through the strawberry fields here in southern California.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
June 11, 2024
6:32:49 p.m. Eastern(…)
DAVID MUIR: And tonight here, the images of ICE agents chasing farm workers through the fields and the arrests at a meat packing plant.
In the past 24 hours, large rallies and marches in New York, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, and other cities, too. At least 200 arrested overnight. And tonight here, new images of what protesters say is fueling their outrage. ICE agents chasing farm workers through a strawberry field. This is Oxnard, California, making arrests there. Protesters trying to stop agents arriving at a meat production plant. This is playing out in Omaha, Nebraska. Dozens of workers were handcuffed with zip ties and taken away on a bus.
(…)
6:33:49 p.m. Eastern
MATT GUTMAN: Tonight, tensions building in the city of Los Angeles after over 200 were arrested overnight and anger over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and its deployment of federal troops to L.A., boiling over into other major U.S. cities.
(…)
6:34:31 p.m. Eastern
GUTMAN: And tonight, those jarring images from southern California, ICE agents filmed chasing farm workers through strawberry fields around 6:00 A.M. Tuesday. And in Omaha, Nebraska, the state's largest yet immigration sweep targeting a meat production plant. Dozens arrested there.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN 1: They just came in and said that it was a raid and we had to get everybody out of production.
GUTMAN: Outside the plant, protesters jumping on a vehicle to try to stop law enforcement. And back in Los Angeles --
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN 2: This is the canister from the tear gas that they threw at her.
GUTMAN: That dramatic surveillance video appearing to show federal agents boxing in this car, reportedly using tear gas on the passengers, and detaining the driver, leaving a toddler, an infant, and their mother behind. The Department of Homeland Security saying in a statement the suspect was wanted for punching an officer.
Another image drawing sharp criticism tonight, pictures of armed National Guardsmen accompanying ICE officers on a raid.
(…)
6:35:54 p.m. eastern
GUTMAN: In an emotional press conference, 30 southern California mayors coming together. Arturo Flores, the mayor of Huntington Park, and a combat veteran, appealing to the military.
MAYOR ARTURO FLORES (D-CA): These are Americans. And when we lifted our hands and we swore the oath to defend the Constitution and defend this country, that oath was to the American people. It was not to a dictator. It was not to a tyrant. It was not to a president. It was to the American people.
GUTMAN: In the wake of those violent protests, a rare address to California and the nation from Governor Gavin Newsom, calling Trump's decision to activate about 4,800 troops, more than what's deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, theatrics and traumatizing.
(…)
6:37:31 p.m. Eastern
GUTMAN: David, I just got off with Governor Newsom's team who tells me he was particularly disturbed to see the images of ICE agents chasing those farm workers through the strawberry fields here in southern California.
You can see it's pretty subdued out here today. Still a curfew is in effect for parts of downtown Los Angeles tonight and tomorrow night, David.
MUIR: Matt Gutman with the images from Los Angeles and across the country. Matt, thank you.