A CNN panel discussion on immigration policies became contentious when a former Trump aide brought up the case of an 11-year-old boy killed in a 2023 vehicular homicide, sparking a heated debate with a former Clinton aide.
The exchange occurred on CNN's NewsNight when former Trump aide Caroline Sunshine cited the crash that killed Aiden Clark in Clark County, Ohio. The driver, Hermanio Joseph, a legal Haitian immigrant, was not licensed and is serving a 9-to-13-year sentence for his role in the August 22, 2023, incident. Sunshine used the case to question the impact of certain immigration stances after progressive strategist Amanda Litman suggested that immigrants who have lived and worked legally in the U.S. "make America great."
Sunshine directly asked if Joseph's actions "made America better." This prompted an immediate reaction from other panelists. Immigration attorney Raul Reyes accused Sunshine of conflating immigration with crime. Former Clinton aide Keith Boykin interjected, questioning the logic of deporting a large number of people based on a single case and whether all individuals of certain nationalities who commit crimes should be expelled.
"One life matters. One American life matters," Sunshine responded, emphasizing that Joseph "killed a child." Boykin, in turn, accused Sunshine of using a "racist foreign policy" and compared her remarks to Trump's 2018 "sh*thole countries" comment about Haiti and other African nations. Sunshine defended Trump's remark, stating he was referencing the Haitian government, not its people.
During the argument, Boykin stated, "That shows exactly what MAGA is made of. It’s made of racism." The back-and-forth grew visibly tense before host Abby Phillip ended the segment.
The crash involved Joseph veering into the wrong lane and striking the side of a school bus. Aiden Clark was ejected from the bus and crushed. Twenty-six other students sustained injuries in the incident. The case has been highlighted by some conservatives as a reason to advocate for stricter immigration policies.