Jennings presses Pearson on deportations
Conservative commentator Scott Jennings confronted Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson during a CNN NewsNight panel when Pearson advocated abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Pearson, who previously made headlines after he and two colleagues were briefly expelled from the Tennessee statehouse over inviting gun control protesters onto the floor, is now challenging Rep. Steve Cohen in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District.
Pearson called for abolishing ICE and CBP “in the way they currently exist” and replacing them with agencies that do the work he believes is needed. Jennings interrupted to ask what work those agencies are currently doing, but Pearson shifted the discussion to the shootings of anti-ICE activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Jennings pressed again, asking what responsibilities Pearson’s proposed agency would perform if ICE and CBP were eliminated. Pearson again redirected to claims that the current agencies are “terrorizing and traumatizing our communities,” and emphasized creating pathways for undocumented people to gain opportunity rather than detailing enforcement roles.
When Jennings directly asked whether a federal law enforcement agency would be needed to deport illegal aliens, Pearson acknowledged an immigration agency would be necessary but stopped short of saying it should carry out deportations. Jennings then asked bluntly, “Is there a single illegal alien that you would deport?”
Pearson praised contributions undocumented people make to communities and reiterated prioritizing opportunity and access, avoiding a yes-or-no answer. Jennings pressed whether that stance reflected the Democratic Party’s position in 2026, but Pearson again pivoted to the Minneapolis shootings.
After the back-and-forth, Jennings concluded that Pearson’s answers amounted to “No deportations, that’s the Democratic position,” highlighting how the Democrat repeatedly dodged a direct response on enforcement.
