Tucker Carlson sparred with Hartford, Conn. Mayor Luke Bronin (D) over his decision to continue to designate his municipality a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.
Carlson, who noted he lived in the city for some time, said Hartford is facing $400 million in unfunded pension liabilities as well as possible teacher layoffs, and could be further affected if President Trump withholds its federal funding.
Bronin said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that in the wake of Trump’s order regarding illegal immigration, he asked his police chief for statistics of crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
“The answer I got back was ‘virtually none’,” he said, adding that he will continue to “prioritize law enforcement efforts on those people who actually pose a risk.”
Citing the city’s budget woes, Bronin said he would not let the federal government “conscript” Hartford police into rounding up undocumented immigrants for officials in Washington.
“When you say they pose no threat, you can’t back it up,” Carlson responded. “What is the scope of the problem?”
Carlson told Bronin he likely took his position on the immigration issue because he is afraid of offending a political constituency.
“What I’ve asked my police chief is, do you want your police officers to be asking victims of crime or witnesses of crime about their immigration status so they’re afraid to share information?'” Bronin said.
“If you ask questions that are that politically loaded, I’m worried about your leadership,” Carlson said.