JD Vance’s Mic Cut As He Tries To Counter Moderator’s Fact Check On Springfield Migrants

Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance’s microphone was cut by CBS moderators Tuesday night during the first vice presidential debate as he attempted to fact-check claims about Haitian migrants being sent to Springfield, Ohio.

During the debate, CBS moderator Margaret Brennan questioned the candidates on illegal immigration, and Vance expressed concern about migrants’ impact on Americans, citing the up to 20,000 Haitian migrants that have flooded into Springfield, Ohio, over the past three years. After Walz rebutted, Brennan tried to move on, adding that the Haitian migrants had “legal status,” leading Vance to interrupt by challenging the network’s fact-checking rule, noting the migrants entered the country via asylum applications.

“Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio, does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status, temporary protected status,” Brennan said.

“But Margaret … I think it‘s important to turn now to the economy. The rules were that you guys weren‘t going to fact-check, and since you‘re fact-checking me, I think it‘s important to say what‘s actually going on,” Vance responded. “So there‘s an application called the CBP One app — where you can go on as an illegal migrant, apply for asylum or apply for parole and be granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand. That is not a person coming in applying for a green card and waiting for 10 years — ”

Brennan jumped in to “thank” Vance for his response and attempted to move on, but Vance could be heard trying to finish, criticizing Harris for her role in the illegal immigration crisis.

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“Those laws have been on the books since 1990,” Walz chimed in.

Vance pushed back against Walz’s statement before his mic was cut, blaming Harris for the CBP One app.

“The audience can‘t hear you because your mics are cut. We have so much we want to get to. Thank you so much for explaining the legal process,” Brennan said.

In October 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the creation of the CBP One app, with the Biden administration expanding its use in January 2023, according to the American Immigration Council. The app allows migrants to schedule appointments “to obtain exemptions at ports of entry” and enables Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to submit “biometric information” to CBP to “apply for travel authorization and obtain parole,” the council reported.