>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
That’s when Lathan launched his ambush.
“I know that Tren de Aragua and gangs and whatever, it’s a catch-all to treat people however you want, to go in there and shred the Constitution or whatever else it is that you want to do,” Lathan snapped. “What I’m asking you is this — do you think that children should have been zip tied and pulled out of an apartment complex and traumatized like that? Yes or no?”
Jennings stayed calm.
“I don’t think children should be put in harm’s way by transnational gangs,” he replied.
Lathan tried again.
“Just answer the question, yes or no? Do you think that children –”
Jennings wasn’t playing along.
“I reject the premise of your question,” he said. “The government is not putting children in harm’s way. Tren de Aragua is. They’re the one putting children in harm’s way.”
The liberal panelist, clearly frustrated, kept pressing.
“Gentlemen to gentlemen, we have a responsibility for the way we treat people with the power that we have here in America. And we have a standard that we should treat human life with. And I’m asking you very clearly, concisely, should children be treated that way? Does Scott Jennings like that?”
Jennings didn’t budge.
“I don’t accept the premise of your question. I don’t believe that the premise of your question is accurate. I would ask you back, should children be allowed to live in an apartment building with Tren de Aragua? Should the entire community of Chicago have to live with Tren de Aragua because they hide behind these children?”
Game, set, and match.
Even CNN commentator Ashley Allison stepped in, trying to defuse the exchange by suggesting law enforcement shouldn’t behave like the gangs they’re targeting. But her comparison fell flat. ICE doesn’t traffic drugs, terrorize neighborhoods, or commit executions. They enforce the law.
Jennings’ point was simple: children aren’t endangered by federal officers—they’re endangered by the violent criminals those officers are sent to arrest.
That’s the difference between political theater and public safety.
The Left’s outrage over ICE raids rings hollow when the real danger to kids comes from the same gangs that are now embedding themselves inside American cities.
Most Americans agree: no one wants to see children in zip ties. But even fewer want to see them growing up in apartments controlled by Tren de Aragua or similar groups that have turned entire neighborhoods into war zones.
And that’s what voters made clear in 2024—law and order beat chaos and excuses.
Donald Trump is back in the Oval Office. Kamala Harris is on a blame tour promoting her book. And Van Lathan is still asking bad questions on CNN.
Maybe next time, he’ll ask who’s really putting children in harm’s way.
