The hosts of ABC’s talk show The View criticized President Donald Trump on the program’s first episode back from its summer hiatus for deploying the National Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to U.S. cities, calling the measures an attempt to conflate crime and immigration and to intimidate communities.
During a tense on-air discussion, co-host Ana Navarro said the administration aimed to "conflate crime and immigration," adding, "They want to round up immigrants. They want to terrorize vulnerable communities." Navarro urged viewers to record and "amplify" any "human rights violations" they witnessed but cautioned against responding violently: "Do not get violent. Do not play into the hands of Donald Trump and his minions. They want a confrontation."
The conversation followed the administration’s recent deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., which the president described as "one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world," and his public statements that he would send similar forces to Chicago to address crime and immigration. Whoopi Goldberg, another co-host, questioned the decision to involve ICE, prompting Navarro’s remarks.
Co-host Joy Behar characterized the deployments as a distraction from other issues facing the administration, asking on air whether the actions were intended to divert attention from low approval ratings and ongoing controversies. "Isn’t a lot of this a big distraction from the fact that his approval ratings are in the toilets right now?" she said, noting that other matters, including questions raised by the Jeffrey Epstein case, loomed over the administration. Behar also pointed to what she described as a contradiction with the president’s earlier campaign posture, asking, "Didn’t he run on being an anti war candidate?"
The View’s segment reflected mounting debate over the appropriate federal role in local law enforcement and immigration enforcement, a subject that has drawn sharply divergent views from elected officials, civil rights groups and law enforcement leaders. Supporters of federal deployments argue they are necessary to address crime and illegal immigration in cities with strained local resources. Critics contend such moves risk civil liberties and may target immigrant communities disproportionately.
Navarro’s call to document potential rights violations echoed similar appeals from advocacy groups that have urged bystanders and journalists to record interactions between law enforcement and civilians to ensure accountability. She framed the plea as a nonviolent civic response, telling viewers to "film it. Amplify the truth so America can see what is happening in our streets," while reiterating a warning against escalation.
The View airs weekdays on ABC at 11 a.m. Eastern. The show’s on-air critique is the latest media response to the administration’s use of federal personnel in domestic law enforcement roles, a topic likely to remain central in discussions about public safety, immigration policy and civil rights ahead of upcoming political debates.