CNN Democratic guest says women won't have blueberries for smoothies if illegal immigrants are deported

Democratic strategist Jenna Arnold warned that illegal immigrants are needed in America for tasks such as "picking strawberries."

On CNN's "NewsNight with Abby Phillip," a panel spoke about the Trump administration’s crackdowns on illegal immigrants across the U.S. One topic they debated was how the administration should approach not just the illegal immigrants themselves, but the American employers who are benefiting from their labor. 

"If you are trying to actively hire illegal immigrants, if you think that‘s best, if you are trying to game the system, if you are trying to help someone break U.S. federal immigration law, I think if we‘re going to have a true crackdown on illegal immigration in this country, it has to involve everybody who‘s participating in it," Scott Jennings said. He added that "employers and anyone else who is part of this pipeline, I think they ought to be put on notice. And you got to play by the rules. Everybody has to play by the rules."

Former Trump White House political director Bill Stephen tried to get ahead of any arguments that the U.S. economy needs illegal immigrants.

Democratic Strategist Jenna Arnold warned there will be nationwide consequences for losing illegal immigrant labor.

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"I don‘t want to hear that they‘re doing work that no one else will do," he said. "Talk to guys in the building trades, plumbers, contractors-"

"Picking strawberries," Democratic strategist Jenna Arnold interjected.

"These building trades guys are being hurt by labor that shouldn’t be here," Stephen replied.

Arnold continued her argument that cracking down on illegal immigration will have consequences felt across the country.

"I can’t wait until American women can’t get blueberries for their smoothies," she said. "I cannot wait until there is a full crackdown on all small businesses, as if that’s going to be the solution to the immigration problem," she claimed. "It is just going to put immigration-related issues further into the darker corners. We‘re not going to see them. It‘s just going to become even harder to solve the problem. It doesn‘t make sense to punish individuals and people when there is a broken system."

Migrants from a caravan in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico, march while heading to the U.S. border on January 20, 2025. (ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images))

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Jennings argued such concerns are both a thing of the past and overstated.

"I think if you came here illegally and you know when you came, you know you did it, you know you broke the law, you know, you have to understand, it‘s a new day in America," the news commentator said. "And No. 2, I still think the case for total economic collapse, if we have some deportation, is totally overstated. I mean, it‘s obvious the priority is violent criminals. And the second priority is people with existing deportation orders. I think that‘s the vast majority of what‘s going to go on, you know, for the next couple of years. And I don‘t think that‘s going to have any impact on the economy at all."

Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..