Fox News host Bill O’Reilly told Jose Antonio Vargas — an illegal immigrant who boldly went public with his status a few years ago and turned to activism to achieve amnesty for others — that he didn’t have “an entitlement” to be in the United States.
“Surely you understand how millions of Americans say, ’You know what? Bad behavior’s being rewarded,’ ” Mr. O’Reilly said, referring to President Obama’s blanket amnesty award for roughly 5 million illegals, Mediaite reported.
The Fox News host then said he sympathized with Mr. Vargas, who was brought to the United States at the age of 12 to live with his grandmother and has since become a journalist. But at the same time, he said plenty of illegals “came here in devious ways” and are perhaps not rightful recipients of Mr. Obama’s amnesty package, Mediaite reported.
“It is a compassionate move,” Mr. O’Reilly said of the amnesty plan. “But it may not be a just move, because you and the other people here illegally don’t deserve to be here. That’s harsh, it’s hard, but you don’t have an entitlement to be here.”
Mr. Vargas, for his part, said he doesn’t “feel entitled to be here,” the media outlet reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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