Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was criticized widely Wednesday for what many saw as a tone deaf response to the heinous murder of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts.
Warren was asked about the murder of Tibbetts during an interview Tuesday on CNN. Tibbetts was murdered by an illegal immigrant, according to ICE, who later told the police that he flew into a rage and blacked out when she rejected his advances.
While Warren offered brief and perfunctory condolences to the Tibbetts family, she elaborated much more passionately on the plight of illegal immigrants.
“Mike Pence and the president have suggested the immigration laws need to be stronger," asked John Berman, "so that people like this man who is accused of this murder were not in the country. Your reaction?”
"I'm so sorry for the family here and I know this is hard," Warren responded, "not only for the family but for the people in her community, the people throughout Iowa."
“But one of the things we have to remember is we need an immigration system that is effective," she continued, "that focuses on where real problems are."
“Last month, I went down to the border," Warren added, "and I saw where children had been taken away from their mothers. I met with their mothers who had been lied to, who didn’t know where their children were, who hadn’t have a chance to talk to their children. And there was no plan for how they would be reunified with their children.
“I think we need immigration laws that focus on people who pose a real threat and I don’t think mamas and babies are the place we should be spending our resources,” Warren concluded. “Separating a mama from a baby does not make this country safer.”
David Catanese of U.S. News and World Report responded, "I reserved judgement until I was able to watch the clip several times but am struck at how bad Sen. Warren’s answer was on Mollie Tibbets."
"She moved far too quickly to talking points on an issue without showing sustained visceral human reaction to the horror of a murdered girl," he added.
Catanese was only one of numerous critics of Warren's statement registered on social media.
Trump has been criticized by the left for his "no tolerance" immigration policy which, because of laws instituted by Congress, led to the separation of families at the border.
The president has taken up the cause of Tibbetts' murder as an exemplar of the dangers of unmitigated illegal immigration into the country.
Carlos Garcia
Staff Writer
