Kaitlin Bennett interviews a college student who, despite being a U.S.-born citizen, carries her passport fearing ICE deportation and claims America's imperialism harms the global poor. They debate birthright citizenship for illegal aliens, the student's communist self-identification alongside her vote for Trump, and the detention of Liam Ramos. The conversation highlights the distinction between civil immigration proceedings lacking jury trials versus criminal rights, concluding with a critique of due process and a call to donate to food banks despite the student's assertion of being self-funded and hungry. [Automatically generated summary]
Transcriber: CohereLabs/cohere-transcribe-03-2026, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
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Fear of Deportation Despite Citizenship00:03:54
I'm scared to go out, so.
You're scared to go outside?
Yeah.
Why so?
Um, I carry my passport everywhere I go.
So, what are you scared of happening?
Uh, deportation, even though I'm an American citizen.
But, okay.
So, you were born here?
Yeah.
And you think that it's a real possibility that you could be kidnapped off the street by an ICE agent and deported?
Yeah.
Are you proud to be an American?
Mm.
No, I don't mean.
No, why not?
America's imperialism and its destruction of the global poor.
Okay.
How are we committing destruction against the global poor?
I mean, if you don't know that, then, you know, there's no really point in trying to explain it to you.
Just like 10 seconds.
Give me the gist.
Nah.
I mean, I feel like if people don't get it now, they're never going to get it.
What country would you be proud to be part of?
I'm not much of a flag waver.
I don't think I really align myself with any country.
Okay.
Well, what country would you like to be a part of rather than America?
I mean, again, you're asking me about like two different things, you know?
That's a separate question.
Yeah.
I mean, whether or not I'm like proud to be an American doesn't mean that I would be like proud to be a part of any other country.
I just asked what country would you rather be a citizen of instead?
Is there anywhere else in the world that you would say, I would prefer to live there and be that country's citizen rather than here in America because I'm not proud to be from here?
No, I mean, this is my home regardless.
Okay.
That doesn't mean, you know, that I love what America does or what it stands for.
That's a good question, actually.
What does America stand for?
Is it only destroying the global poor or is there anything good?
No.
Not a single thing good that America does.
Maybe there's a difference between American politicians and American people, but no.
I can't think of a single thing.
I'm scared to go out.
You're scared to go outside?
Yeah.
Why so?
I carry my passport everywhere I go.
So, what are you scared of happening?
Deportation, even though I'm an American citizen.
So, you were born here?
Yeah.
And why do you feel like you would be deported?
Because I have.
I'm like Latina.
So my parents, all my ancestors are from the Dominican Republic.
And so I still have family in the Dominican Republic.
But I'm born here.
And then also, I think he.
I know he wanted to get rid of citizenship for people who were born in the United States.
Birthright citizenship for illegal aliens who come over and have children.
And then get a lot of government programs, and they use that as a means to get citizenship for themselves, even though they committed a crime coming over or being here illegally.
So, what have you seen in the news or on media that makes you feel that even though you were born here, you need to carry a passport around?
Well, I carry my passport ID, but people are just like taken off the streets by mass figures.
For what reason, though?
For deportation.
Why Conservatives Oppose Feeding the Hungry00:06:52
Yeah.
And why are they targeted though?
Because they're racially profiled.
And you think that it's a real possibility that you could be kidnapped off the street by an ICE agent and deported?
Yeah.
Okay.
I want to calm your fears and tell you that is literally never going to happen to you.
That is never going to happen to you.
There has not been an instance, one single instance, where an American citizen has been.
I don't think there's much interpretation, room for interpretation for the Beatitudes, such as, um, blessed are those who are hungry, um, you know, they'll be fed, blessed are those who are meek, they shall be comforted.
So to that, I have to say, um, I assume because you are a conservative, why do you feel that we should not, you know, follow what I don't think there's much room for interpretation for, that we need to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, comfort the sick, especially because so many of these people, they are not in that position because they made poor choices.
They're in that position because of the system that we live in.
So are you asking me what I believe and then following up with a question?
Are you assuming what I believe and then asserting that onto me and then getting frustrated at me and asking me questions about things I've never said?
You've never even asked me a single thing that I believe on that topic.
And so if you want to have a discussion about that, you should first ask me what I believe and then you could ask a follow up question.
All right.
What do you believe about what feeding the poor?
Clothing the hungry or clothing.
I think Christians in this country give the most charity to people in this country.
The Christian organizations, the charitable organizations, the number one source of charity in this country are by Christian groups.
Okay.
Why would I be against giving food to hungry people?
Who did you vote for?
I voted for Donald Trump.
Yeah.
So, Tim.
I'm sorry.
Why is that funny?
It's a bit contradictory, don't you think?
Yeah.
So if I believe that hungry people should be fed, how is it contradictory that I cast a political vote for president?
Because under his system, hungry people are not being fed.
Okay.
Did Joe Biden feed every single hungry person?
Is that right?
I don't like Joe Biden either.
But here's the thing.
Were you out here criticizing Joe Biden supporters and saying that, oh, how could you vote for him if people are hungry?
There are going to be hungry people.
I don't understand how that equates to how could you vote for Donald Trump because people are still hungry.
What policies has he instituted that have said we are not going to feed hungry people?
What Trump supporters don't feed hungry people?
I mean, is this a phenomenon that I've never heard of that conservatives are against feeding people?
Well, I have spoken to many Trump supporters and not to say that a few generalize to the larger whole, but, um, As far as my understanding goes, interacting with Trump supporters, and I know because I was raised with Trump supporters, more emphasis is put on using tax dollars to defend the nation from quote unquote threats than to feed the people here domestically, which to me does not feel like a good idea at first.
Well, first of all, we're sending money to bomb Iran instead of feeding people.
And I would know because those are the only two options.
We can only do one thing at a time.
I never said that.
How much money do we give to hungry organizations and charitable organizations?
How much do Christians donate?
Actually, how much do you donate to the hungry?
I am the hungry.
How much do you donate?
None because I am the hungry.
You have food right there.
Why don't you go find a hungry person and go give that?
You're here at a college campus, probably.
Somewhat paid for, not by you.
Is it by your Trump supporter family?
Are they helping you pay for this?
Not at all, actually.
That's the funny thing.
Really?
I'm self funded.
Okay, so you have money.
No.
How much are you giving to the hungry?
I am the hungry.
Oh, so we should be giving you all of our stuff.
I never said that, did I?
So how much do you give, though?
I'm so not sure.
Well, you came up, that's funny you would say that, because you came up to me saying, How dare you vote for Donald Trump and be a Christian when you aren't the Bible, you aren't following it, because this is to feed the hungry and you aren't even feeding anybody.
We give.
Thousands of dollars every year in charity.
The Catholic Church is one of the biggest organizations for charitable donations and charity work in this country.
We have a food bank at our parish.
Every single Catholic parish has a food bank, and it's constantly running out.
We have to constantly keep filling it because people come and they are being fed by that.
My voting for Donald Trump does support feeding people, it also supports not killing them before they even have the chance to be fed through abortion.
What do you think about abortion?
Are you against that?
Can I actually speak before you pull the mic away from my face?
Are you against abortion?
I'm not going to answer that question unless you let me speak fully without interrupting me and pulling the mic away from my face.
Can you provide evidence or tell me who has been deported that's an American citizen?
Um, there's been a few students who are, um, forgot up in Massachusetts.
Forgot it was, it was a big, um, I think she was a law student.
I forgot her name, but, um.
Not an American citizen.
She overstayed her visa.
She's been on a school visa for years, nearly a decade, just hopping around to school, just changing her major constantly, and she did not renew her visa.
I think that may have been in New York City, actually.
Yeah, okay.
So she was not an American citizen.
She's on a visa and she broke the law by overstaying her visa.
Is there anyone else?
I mean, I just read how people.
Are, oh, I think there was a Native American woman who was taken and they didn't release her until like a day later, even though people were calling in for her, even though she's literally born in America.
Right.
I'm not saying that ICE has never detained an American citizen, they do that often, and then once citizenship is proven, that happens.
They get released, but I'm looking for someone who has been deported.
Oh, I'm sure there's examples that you can find.
Maybe they have any.
Excuse me.
Do you guys know of any American citizen that has been deported?
She told me there were a few, but I'm just looking for one.
Not to mention this isn't about abortion.
I came to you asking about Catholicism, Christianity.
No, you did not.
Detention Centers and Family Separation00:12:45
Yes, I did.
I asked you specifically, how do you personally feel about clothing the hungry, clothing the poor, feeding the hungry, um, taking in all these people, protecting them?
How do you feel about feeding the hungry, caring for the poor?
I think that is work that not only should happen, but it needs to happen.
And I'm so thankful to the people out there who do it, specifically all the Christian organizations and the pro life organizations that do the most work in this country.
I will agree that charity is a very good, you know, outlet for that.
But I will also say, not that this is any one specific politician's fault.
It's a larger institutional issue, I believe.
There are more available housing units, apartments, than there are homeless people right now on the street.
There are people who are going hungry while, you know, food, not food banks, restaurants are constantly dumping food at the end of the night.
Uh, fast food places are dumping food at the end of the night.
Um, and I do believe that this nation especially has an issue with putting profits above, you know, um, actually benefiting people.
And this does lead into a problem more so as well with generative AI.
Um, you have these, um, new technologies replacing workers.
Um, so that, you know, you have to wonder what happens to them when the robots take their jobs.
Um, this is only loosely related, but.
Are you just feeling like you really want people to listen to your, to your rant right now?
Are you going on a podcast here?
trying to ask, have a conversation because you went from feeding the hungry to, uh, you can't vote for Donald Trump if you believe in that to generative AI to robots taking people's jobs.
Let's stick to one topic here.
Donald Trump has put more money in people's pockets through his, through his tax bill than any other president, any other president.
He has given people more money to feed themselves and to be able to donate to charitable organizations for that mission.
Okay.
And so I don't understand how voting for a president has anything to do with how I feel about feeding the poor or anything like that.
A lot of homeless people are homeless by choice because they are drug addicts.
They have mental health issues and a lot of them are not even able.
No, you cannot.
A lot of them aren't even able to go into shelters because they have convictions.
They're drug addicts and they're not allowed to be there.
A lot of them abuse women and so they don't want them in these shelters around other women.
Anyway, um, I think that people in this country, the poorest people in this country are among the richest in the world.
And so I think it's really hard for someone to really be so hungry that they starve to death in this country.
And so, um, I think you're doing pretty well for yourself being hungry and you're doing well and people have resources in this country that, uh, I have no clue how that relates to voting for Donald Trump.
But my whole point of my, my question here was actually for people to rate Donald Trump's job in his second term between one and ten.
That's what all I was going to ask you.
And your friends that ran away.
I don't want to answer that question.
Why not?
Because it's my choice.
I'm a communist.
Huh?
I'm a communist.
Okay.
What about you?
No?
Okay.
I'm just trying to find the American citizen that has been deported.
How about you look it up?
Well, I have and I haven't found any, but if I'm misinformed, I would love to be given their name or the case.
I'm not here to do that.
Has there been an American citizen that's been deported?
I don't know and I don't care.
Oh, you don't care about American citizens being deported?
That's shocking.
Are you really going to just rage fate?
I was very shocked that you would not care about American citizens as a communist.
You would care about that, right?
I wouldn't.
You wouldn't care.
Not really.
No.
I'm okay with deporting communists, closing the border.
Joe Biden had the worst border crisis in American history, letting tens of millions of people, 400,000 unaccompanied minor children that we don't know where they're at.
Trump has closed the entire border.
No one is coming over.
Mass deportations are happening of criminal, illegal aliens and just people who broke the law by being here illegally.
Is that a good thing?
Why was Liam Ramos, the four-year-old, a criminal too?
He got locked up.
No.
Well, why did he do that?
Do what?
Why did he get locked up?
No reason.
No reason.
They just, they just said, okay, little kid, let me pick you up, put this in, put you in this detention center.
That's all they did?
Essentially, yes.
Really?
Yes.
And you're right.
Does a four-year-old, what can a four-year-old ever do to deserve that?
So, you guys really believe that he was picked up on his own and placed in a detention center?
Allegedly, even if his caregiver was a criminal?
It's not allegedly, and it was his father.
It wasn't a caregiver.
It was his father.
His father.
His father broke the law.
He's not an American citizen.
It was a targeted operation for them to arrest him.
He went into a detention center and he asked for his child to be in there with him.
He did not.
Yes, he did.
He asked for medical care when his child got sick.
Yep.
And they gave it to him.
If Donald Trump's policies were so great, why would they not then take the child and place it in a better situation?
The other family didn't want it.
But you know why?
Because the Democrat media and his lawyers, who are activist lawyers out here, said, get your child in here, it can make it more sympathetic to the media and to people and to want to release you.
That's exactly what it was.
Why is it he had other family not in detention centers?
Why was he with his father in a detention center and not with his other family back home?
Why?
You know, it's a great country when you.
Why?
Why?
It's a great country when you can just lock up a four year old because some other adult said so.
That's such a great America.
So it's not jail.
It's a detention center.
It's a holding center.
And his father requested his son to be in there with him.
They could have sent him with his other family members.
Why didn't his other family members take him?
What would a child possibly do to be locked up in a jail?
Why didn't his other family members take him?
I don't think that's relevant.
Why didn't they take him?
He didn't have to be there, but they requested for him to be with his father.
He could have gone home.
And to be in his bed with his other family members.
Why didn't he do that?
And the dad could stay in the detention center.
I. Why?
Can I talk?
No, why?
It doesn't matter.
It does matter.
He chose for his child to be in the detention center when he didn't have to be.
I think any sane institution would not put a four year old in a detention center, regardless.
We don't want to separate families, right?
So we should have told him, no, you can't be with your son?
I don't think being against separating families applies to a detention center.
Okay.
All right.
Well, his dad shouldn't have broken the law.
That isn't relevant to the four-year-old.
To the four-year-old?
Okay.
So if my MAGA parent committed a crime, and let's say I was four years old, would you be okay with me being locked in a detention center if my mom said no, don't do that?
So if you, if your MAGA parent committed a crime, they would be in jail, right?
Not a detention center.
That's not how, that's not how it works.
You don't go to holding centers, immigration detention holding centers, because your mom shoplifted.
Okay.
I never did.
That's not how it works.
It's an example.
Okay.
So why is it, Why is it Trump's immigration enforcement officers and Border Patrol, why is it their fault and the Trump administration's fault that he was in there when his dad requested for him to be in there with him?
Shouldn't we be angry at the father for not saying, No, I want my son to be in there?
Why aren't you mad at him?
He requested for his child to be in there.
Isn't that weird?
So if he is a criminal, why is he having say on where the world goes?
Because our policies allow people in detention centers to be with their children.
They can be deported with them, they can be in detention centers with them because they're not in jail.
These are holding centers.
Before they are deported and while immigration processes exactly their citizenship.
Okay?
That's what that is.
It's not a jail.
He did, the child didn't have to be in there.
But all these congresswomen, all the congressmen came down and they said, keep your child in there.
It looks better for the cameras.
It looks better for you to get released.
The child didn't have to be in there.
So why did the dad ask for him to be in there and not back at home?
At the end of the day, the four year old should not have been there.
Point blank, period.
Oh my goodness.
So why did the father want him in there?
It doesn't matter who wanted him where.
He's a four year old who should not be in a detention center.
He did nothing to warrant that.
We're asking people, students here today, if they like being an American.
I love being an American.
Okay, why?
I just have a lot of pride.
My dad was in the military, so I just, I love my country.
I love where I grew up, and I'm very honored that I have a dad as brave as he is.
Absolutely.
Tell him, everybody here at Liberty Hangout said, thank you for your service.
You realize that crossing the border is the same level of a misdemeanor as jaywalking.
Should we lock up and throw all the people out of the country who have jaywalked?
If they're illegal, yes.
Have you ever jaywalked in your life?
I have, but I'm not illegal, so I'm probably fine.
It's a federal misdemeanor.
It's a federal misdemeanor, which is a crime, right?
Yes.
Okay.
Well, then they broke the law and they should be deported.
So they should lock up all jaywalkers.
You know what?
Compromise with you.
Let's lock up all jaywalkers if we deport every single illegal alien.
Or we could just treat all human beings like they were created by God and feed them and clothe them, which is my point.
They're human beings.
Jesus called us to feed and clothe human beings.
And they get fed and clothed into detention centers when ICE picks them up.
That's a good point.
Actually, that's a great point.
Illegal aliens that are arrested and put in detention centers by ICE get clothed and fed.
There you go.
There's the problem to, there's the answer to your problem.
But then.
You should actually be one of ICE's biggest supporters because these illegal aliens who are so hungry after they cross the border, they get picked up by ICE, they get three meals a day.
They get showers, they get medical care, they have a gym, and then they can go back home.
And they don't even get prosecuted at all for breaking our crimes.
But you just said we're deporting them, so you're saying we're deporting them without prosecuting them of a crime?
Yeah, that's not how they.
Yep.
That's not the point.
The point is, well, yes, you're right.
Yeah, you're right.
But the point is, so.
I'm passing an hour, so I gotta go.
Okay, bye.
What happened to due process?
Yeah, what is the due process when someone crosses the border illegally and gets apprehended by ICE?
What's the due process?
Well, the Constitution says every human being is endowed by God to the right to a due process and a trial.
That's not true.
Okay, so then what do you believe?
It's not what I believe, it's just the truth.
Everybody is offered due process.
The legal aliens who get apprehended and their only crime is coming across the border illegally, they get due process.
It's just a different type of due process.
Under Title VIII that lays out all immigration law, they are not entitled to a jury trial.
They're not entitled to a free lawyer.
They get to go in front of a judge and then whatever the judge Determines that happens, they're allowed to present their case for asylum, and the judge can deem that actually, no, you're gonna get deported, and they get deported.
So, why do they not deserve the same right to a free trial by jury with a free lawyer that we do?
Because they're illegal aliens, and that's not what our Constitution grants them.
Did you know that, by the way?
Did you know that there are different types of due process?
I'm just saying, how is that fair?
How did you come to the conclusion that they deserve a trial?
All human beings deserve a trial.
That is a human right.
It doesn't matter what the Constitution says.
It's a right of God.
But right grants everybody a free trial.
God's right.
Why shouldn't all humans have the same rights?
Do jaywalkers get a trial by jury if they're charged with the crime?
I'm surprised that you were so giddy to come up to me and then you say stuff like this.
No, they don't deserve that.
They don't.
No, no, they don't deserve that because that's not a criminal.
That's not a criminal proceeding.
When they deport people, they go through a civil process, which has a different due process.
You get a jury of your peers when you go through a criminal proceeding and you're charged with a criminal offense.
A misdemeanor coming over, it's a criminal offense, but our administration and our government is so gracious to these illegal aliens who broke our laws and disrespected our country that we actually only Process them civilly and administratively, and they just get sent back home.
How lucky are they?
I don't believe they get sent back home.
Civil Proceedings vs Criminal Offenses00:01:18
Yes, they do.
They do?
To the right country every time?
Unless that country won't take them.
What if they were born on American soil?
Well, then they're not going anywhere, are they?
Americans have been deported.
Who?
I'm not going to name them off the top of my head, but you're free to Google it.
Just one.
You're free to Google it.
Why don't you know it?
If you're going to make the claim, back it up.
Who has been deported that's an American citizen?
You can Google it.
Yeah, it's zero.
Zero people under the Trump administration.
Then who?
I can't name them.
Do you want me to Google it really quick?
Yeah, please, please look it up.
Under the Trump administration, what American citizens have been deported?
I'm very shocked when people are so giddy to come up to me and they're like, I'm going to go talk to Caitlin Bennett.
And then they say stuff like this.
I'm not trying to be insulting, but it is like very shocking to me.
If you don't want to give me proof to prove me wrong, then I guess that's kind of the end of the conversation, right?
Sure, why not?
Okay.
God bless you.
I know that you're very passionate about what you believe in.
I do believe that you want to help people.
And so I think you should start by putting your money where your mouth is and helping people.