In a heated exchange on CNN, anchor Brianna Keilar and Republican Representative Beth Van Duyne engaged in a contentious conversation regarding immigration and the actions of Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mayorkas. The interview took a heated turn as Keilar attempted to fact-check Van Duyne's claims about immigrant crime rates.

The discussion began with Keilar questioning why House Republicans were pursuing a second attempt to impeach Mayorkas after their previous effort failed. Republicans accuse Mayorkas of mishandling the southern border and implementing "catch and release" protocols for migrants. Keilar challenged Van Duyne's support for HR 2, a border bill that would restrict asylum processes and remove undocumented immigrants.

Van Duyne argued that HR 2 was not a new law, but rather a mechanism to compel the Biden administration to uphold existing immigration laws. Keilar sarcastically questioned if Van Duyne considered it a mere memo. The congresswoman claimed that the current handling of immigration had led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans, citing fentanyl overdoses as the cause.

Keilar countered Van Duyne's claim, stating that the majority of fentanyl crossing the U.S.-Mexico border is brought in by American citizens, not migrants. The Texas Republican then accused Mayorkas of being friendly with Mexican cartels, to which Keilar reminded her that the cartels exploit American citizens as drug mules.

The tension grew as Keilar informed Van Duyne that President Joe Biden would be speaking and that the network would cut to his live address. Afterward, the interview resumed, and Keilar highlighted House Speaker Mike Johnson's reluctance to bring up a Senate bill providing aid to Ukraine and Israel because it lacked border security provisions.

Van Duyne maintained that HR 2 aimed to codify existing immigration law that the administration was ignoring. Keilar pushed back, citing statistics showing that the criminal conviction rate of illegal immigrants in Texas is 45 percent lower than that of native-born Americans. The anchor clarified that she was only fact-checking Van Duyne's statements and denied supporting immigrants who commit crimes.

The discussion shifted towards the Senate border bill, with Keilar contending that it would have reduced the number of released asylum-seekers. Van Duyne disagreed, leading to Keilar issuing a warning that she would cut the interview short if she was not allowed to speak. Keilar addressed false claims made by Republicans, stating that the bill's trigger number of apprehensions would lead to border closure, and even the Border Patrol Union endorsed the legislation.

The contentious back-and-forth continued, with Van Duyne arguing that the bill would increase illegal border crossings to a "catastrophic level" while Keilar maintained that without proper prevention measures, the number of crossings would be left unchecked.

The interview concluded with significant differences in perspective and a clear clash of opinions on immigration policies, leaving viewers with a deeper understanding of the ongoing debate surrounding the southern border and the role of Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mayorkas.