WASHINGTON — The Trump White House sharply criticized filmmaker Michael Moore after he suggested that deporting undocumented immigrants could mean losing individuals who might “discover the cure for cancer” or “stop that asteroid.”
Moore’s comments, which he made in opposition to recent immigration enforcement actions, drew backlash from the administration and its supporters. The White House pointed to the arrests of several undocumented immigrants with criminal records, including individuals convicted of child exploitation, rape, murder, and gang-related violence.
Among those apprehended were a Portuguese national convicted of child pornography in Philadelphia, a Guatemalan national charged with armed home invasion and assault in Rhode Island, and a Haitian national charged with three murders in North Carolina. Other arrests included known gang members and individuals convicted of crimes such as sexual assault, drug trafficking, and terrorism-related offenses.
The administration has repeatedly defended its immigration policies as necessary for national security. Moore, a longtime critic of Trump, has not responded to the White House’s remarks.