Don Lemon grilled by legal immigrant for saying illegal border crossings are 'not a crime'

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Former CNN anchor Don Lemon sparked a fiery debate during a livestream on his YouTube channel on Friday, October 10, when he told a legal Mexican immigrant that crossing the US border illegally is “not a crime.”

The tense exchange took place in Chicago, where President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has stirred sharp reactions across the political spectrum.

Lemon was speaking with a woman who identified herself as a legal immigrant from Mexico when it looked like the conversation turned into a debate. 

“Crossing the border illegally is not a crime?” the woman asked him pointedly.

Lemon responded, “No, it’s not a criminal act! It’s a misdemeanor.”

He added, “That’s the point, we don’t know if they’re breaking the law because [ICE and Border Patrol] won’t tell. There’s no due process. Where’s the evidence?”

Don Lemon doubles down, says illegal border crossing is 'not a criminal act'

As the debate intensified, the woman pressed him further, challenging his claim.

“Then why get charged at all, if it’s not a criminal act?” she asked.

“Because we have different levels of crime. Everything is not the same,” Lemon said.

“So it is a crime? It’s just different level…” the woman remarked.

Lemon interrupted and seemed to walk back his words, “No, I shouldn’t say different levels. It’s not a crime. You’re not breaking the law. I mean, you are breaking the law, but it’s not a criminal act.”

The exchange drew some laughter from those watching.

A man accompanying the woman then jumped in, comparing it to other offenses. “If drinking and driving or speeding is breaking the law, then what’s the difference?” he asked.

Lemon replied that speeding was a misdemeanor before admitting the whole argument had become a debate over “semantics.”

Legal immigrant stresses on doing 'it the right way'

Earlier in the conversation, the woman explained that she had moved to the US legally and currently resided in Kansas City.

While she said that she supports immigration, she emphasized the importance of following proper procedures.

“I’m obviously pro-immigration, but they have to do it the right way,” she said. “It’s not about hating people — it’s about respecting the law.”

Lemon countered that his main issue was not with immigration itself but with how federal agents were treating those caught at the border.

“My issue is with people getting roughed up by federal agents,” he argued.

The debate comes on the heels of ICE ramping up deportation efforts in Chicago, which has been fiercely criticized by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, amid Trump's move to deploy the National Guard to the city. 

Pritzker recently challenged Trump directly, saying, “If you come for my people, you come through me.”