On CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront on Thursday, while discussing the evening's campaign rally for Kamala Harris, New York Times podcaster and CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro showed worry that former Donald Trump advisor Stephen Miller would return to the White House and push "draconian" deportations of illegal aliens.

After CNN reporter Kristen Holmes recalled that Trump has complained about other countries making the U.S. the "garbage can of the world," host Erin Burnett turned to Garcia-Navarro and posed:

So, Lulu, right, the context here -- Kristen (Holmes) talking about it now -- when Trump is on the stage talking about "garbage can of the world" when he's referencing the number of migrants who have come into the United States over the past years. Does rhetoric like that, at this point, does it motivate anybody? ... does it move the needle?

Garcia-Navarro soon charged that another Trump administration would have a "xenophobic fever dream" as she brought up an article about Miller that just appeared in her paper:

..there was a very important article today in the New York Times where they interviewed Stephen Miller. You might remember him from the first Trump administration who was sort of the architect of many of former President Trump's harshest immigration policies, and he basically detailed what they're planning for a next Trump administration. And, you know, some people have called this sort of a xenophobic fever dream.

She further fretted:

It is, you know, mass camps, huge deportations of millions of people here illegally in this country who might have strong ties who are not necessarily criminals -- definitely deporting people like the Dreamers, DACA recipients who were brought to this country legally (sic) as children and have been vetted and have been given sort of permission to stay and work -- some of them in the military.

Garcia-Navarro twice asserted that a second Trump administration would be "draconian" as she wrapped up:

These are very, very dramatic and draconian ideas about what is going to happen in a second Trump administration. And I think those are the things that are, you know, reporting and should be getting scrutiny because if Trump indeed becomes President again, what we saw in the first Trump administration isn't necessarily what's going to happen in the second Trump administration. They've had time to plan, and they have real -- very strong ideas about what should happen next, and it is indeed very, very draconian.

Transcript follows:

CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront

October 24, 2024

7:26 p.m. Eastern

ERIN BURNETT: So, Lulu, right, the context here -- (CNN reporter) Kristen (Holmes) talking about it now -- when Trump is on the stage talking about "garbage can of the world" when he's referencing the number of migrants who have come into the United States over the past years. Does rhetoric like that, at this point, does it motivate anybody? Does it -- I mean, for or -- I mean, does it move the needle?

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Um, I mean, I think Donald Trump's pitch is that this country is in a terrible state, and, you know, the darker the better because that benefits him. But, I mean, moving aside from just the rhetoric, what I'm interested in are the policies. I mean, there was a very important article today in the New York Times where they interviewed Stephen Miller. You might remember him from the first Trump administration who was sort of the architect of many of former President Trump's harshest immigration policies, and he basically detailed what they're planning for a next Trump administration. And, you know, some people have called this sort of a xenophobic fever dream.

It is, you know, mass camps, huge deportations of millions of people here illegally in this country who might have strong ties who are not necessarily criminals -- definitely deporting people like the Dreamers, DACA recipients who were brought to this country legally (sic) as children and have been vetted and have been given sort of permission to stay and work -- some of them in the military.

These are very, very dramatic and draconian ideas about what is going to happen in a second Trump administration. And I think those are the things that are, you know, reporting and should be getting scrutiny because if Trump indeed becomes President again, what we saw in the first Trump administration isn't necessarily what's going to happen in the second Trump administration. They've had time to plan, and they have real -- very strong ideas about what should happen next, and it is indeed very, very draconian.