Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, demanded that those responsible for CBS's decision to withhold a "60 Minutes" segment detailing Trump-era deportations to the controversial El Salvador prison CECOT be fired on Wednesday. He accused those involved in the decision of trying to get people to feel sympathy towards illegal immigrant gang members.
"Every one of those producers at '60 Minutes' engaged in this revolt, fire them. Clean house," Miller said. "They're trying to tell sob stories about Tren de Aragua gang members who drill holes in people's hands, who rape and murder little girls. This is the gang that kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered Jocelyn Nungaray. Remember her? That precious 12-year-old girl from Texas who was taken from her mom and went through horrors none of us can even imagine. And you have these '60 Minutes' producers… trying to make us feel sympathetic for these monsters?"
🚨 Stephen Miller GOES OFF on 60 Minutes Producers:
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) December 24, 2025
“Clean House & FIRE Them All!”
For revolting against pulling their one sided hit piece sympathizing with deported criminal illegals in El Salvador’s CECOT.
pic.twitter.com/PCoIdnRmBv
CBS made its decision mere hours before the segment was set to release, as Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, said she wanted numerous changes to the segment and that it would air at a later date.
In a statement, Weiss said:
My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason — that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices — happens every day in every newsroom. I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready.
Sharyn Alfonsi, a veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent who produced the segment on CECOT, disagreed with Weiss’s decision.
“Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” Ms. Alfonsi wrote in a private note. “It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision; it is a political one.”
Weiss first watched the segment on Thursday and had several suggestions to improve it, according to people familiar with the matter. One of which was to include a new interview with Stephen Miller, who is the architect of President Trump’s immigration crackdown, or a similarly high-ranking Trump administration official. Axios reported that although the White House, Department of Homeland Security, and State Department submitted statements to CBS, the network did not include any of them in the segment.
She also challenged the use of the term “migrants” for the men who had been deported, pointing out that they were in the United States illegally, and raised questions on a random portion of the segment, which showcased Berkley students analyzing the prison.
The Trump administration argued that "60 Minutes" should focus on highlighting cases of Americans killed by illegal immigrants rather than scrutinizing the administration's deportation policies.
"60 Minutes should spend their time and energy amplifying the stories of Angel Parents, whose innocent American children have tragically been murdered by vicious illegal aliens that President Trump is removing from the country," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
Help us continue to report on President Trump's successes. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code MERRY74 to get 74% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member