Stephen Miller Obliterates CNN Hosts ‘Dumb Question’ About ICE Raids
White House senior advisor Stephen Miller strongly defended President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to Illinois and dismissed accusations of racial profiling during a tense CNN interview with host Boris Sanchez.
The Illinois National Guard deployment was ordered to bolster Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations amid a wave of violent attacks on federal officers. Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) denounced the move as an “invasion” and claimed ICE was targeting individuals based on race.
Sanchez pressed Miller:
“Is it the case that, as Pritzker frames it, you are profiling Brown people, that this immigration crackdown is designed to go after people of color?”
Miller’s response was blunt:
“Oh, what a dumb question. The illegal aliens who are here are taking jobs away from Blacks. They’re taking jobs away from Whites. They’re taking jobs away from Latinos. They’re taking their health benefits away. They’re taking their school slots away. And, in many cases, they’re committing heinous crimes. We cannot have a system that privileges illegal aliens over American citizens. And that’s what they’re doing. You know it, and I know it.”
When pressed to clarify further, Miller doubled down:
“I said it was a dumb question. OK, no, and it was a dumb question.”
The conversation also turned to the escalating violence against ICE personnel. Sanchez suggested that calling protesters “terrorists” might be an exaggeration. Miller countered:
“No. If anything, I’m understating the severity of the situation. ICE officers have been subjected to nonstop physical attacks and harassment. Outside the Portland field office, for example, every night — they assemble, fight, impede movement, and physically attack. The purpose? To try to undo an election and prevent enforcement of the law.”
Miller highlighted the extreme risks faced by federal officers, citing incidents involving sniper fire and vehicle-ramming attacks targeting ICE facilities, dismissing the idea that these were mere demonstrations.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently confirmed one particularly alarming threat: a Latin Kings gang member, Juan Espinoza Martinez, allegedly placed a bounty on U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino. A confidential tip on October 3, 2025, revealed Martinez offered $2,000 for information on Bovino’s location and a $10,000 reward “if you take him down.” A Snapchat screenshot indicated the involvement of the gang, reading: “LK…on him.”
Martinez was taken into custody on October 6 in Burr Ridge, Illinois, and has been charged by the Department of Justice with soliciting the murder of a senior federal law enforcement official.
Miller emphasized that these attacks underscore the necessity of National Guard deployments and strong federal enforcement. “They’re posting pictures of their kids because it’s a demonstration? No. They have a sniper on top of a building firing a high-caliber rifle at an ICE facility. They’re engaged in vehicle-ramming attacks. This is why the federal government must act.”