Fox News Hosts Laughed at Migrants Being Used as Alligator Bait

A condensed overview of 17 hours of Fox News for the week ending 6/29/25

Last week on Fox News the network worked its audience into a frenzy of paranoia over possible secret Iranian sleeper cells while it celebrated the cruelty of a migrant detention center surrounded by alligators and pythons. As the network focused on fear and sadism it also lauded Donald J. Trump as the daddy of NATO.

As a new detention center in Florida nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ was announced last week Fox News hosts couldn’t hide their excitement over the prospect of an undocumented immigrant being eaten by a giant reptile or suffocated by a enormous snake.

Folks at Fox News might not have realized they were echoing a dark and sinister past in the American south when Black children may have been used as actual bait for alligators according to researchers at the Jim Crow Museum.

While the network wasn’t dehumanizing migrants it celebrated a strange moment at the recent meeting of NATO leaders. During a NATO summit in The Hague NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte referred to President Donald Trump as ‘daddy’ in an in awkward statement after Trump used expletives to describe Iran and Israel.

Later Rutte clarified that he didn’t consider Trump ‘daddy’ and that his remark was meant in jest. The folks at Fox News took the comment and ran with it repeatedly referring to Trump as ‘daddy’ across several programs. The word ‘daddy’ appeared in last week’s transcripts 40 times.

The NATO leader might have realized the best way to manipulate Trump was through flattery so he figured it was worth debasing himself on the world stage.

While Fox News held up Trump as president of the world his approval ratings continued to slide in several polls.

Anyone watching Fox News exclusively last week might not have realized California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against the network while asking for an apology from Jesse Watters over a phone call that the Fox News host claimed was made between Newsom and Trump. The Murdoch owned media empire conveniently ignored that story as they have other defamation lawsuits the network has faced.

Shows I covered last week on Fox:

• Fox & Friends - All three hours on Thursday

• The Five

• Jesse Watters Primetime

Alligator Alcatraz - The Cruelty is the Point

By Tuesday all three shows I covered last week brought up a new detention center nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ The new holding center for undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation is located on an old airstrip near the Florida everglades surrounded by swampland.

The plan includes holding migrants in tents on a concrete airstrip during hurricane season.

Native American tribal leaders from the Miccosukee Tribe and Seminole Tribe of Florida and environmentalists are upset about the use of the site. Indigenous groups can trace their history to the area going back thousands of years and view the land as sacred while environmental activists think the use of the area as a detention center could cause problems for the delicate ecosystem.

The first mention of “Alligator Alcatraz” was on Tuesday’s edition of “Fox & Friends.”

“The facility will be on an old airstrip that is surrounded by wetlands filled with alligators and pythons. The detention center will be composed of large tents and trailers that can house up to 1000 migrants,” said Carley Shimkus

Ainsley Earhardt smiled broadly as she described the new detention center.

“This is an area down in Florida and through emergency powers, they have taken over this remote airfield area in the Everglades where all the alligators live. There are some Democrats down there that have been critical of this. They don't like it. They think it's cruel to put them in the middle of nowhere.”

Lawrence Jones thought it was perfect.

“I think this is the perfect location for criminal migrants. We've had a lot of Democrats that want to break into the facilities. I don't think you want to break into this facility surrounded by alligators . . . Steve is going to do a tour with Governor DeSantis ahead of their facilities.”

Brian Kilmeade made a joke about it.

“He’s going to tour it and make sure there are actually pythons there,” said Kilmeade as all three hosts had a laugh about it.

“Doesn’t it remind you of an old childhood story with the castle, with the moat around it, and they put alligators in it,” said Earhardt

“So, this is actually true. It's so quite scary,” said Jones.

Later that evening Johnny Joey Jones opened a segment about the facility.

“And trust me, these vicious migrant criminals will be begging to go to El Salvador when the alternative is a place called Alligator Alcatraz. DHS has now approved plans for a brand-new migrant detention facility near the Everglades, with the aforementioned name Florida's AG Warning. There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Only the alligators and pythons are waiting,” said Jones.

Jesse Watters wanted to send American prisoners to the site.

“I support putting American prisoners in a swamp surrounded by gators. You keep hearing about all these escape attempts. I mean, what's more of a deterrent than getting eaten by an alligator?”

Thursday night on “Jesse Watters Primetime” Watters was more than happy to talk about the nightmarish detention center.

“And Homan is adding new agents, and they're not even human. ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ just broke ground in Florida's Everglades. In a month 5000 criminal aliens will check into their swamp suites. The tents are up, the trailers are parked, and the gators are on patrol. And if Jose tries to make a break for it, hope he can swim like Phelps.”

The Fox News host returned to the story on Friday.

“Now CECOT’s got competition. ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ DeSantis is launching the detention center with swamp security. Jose better not bust out of ‘Croc Rock.’ If he does, he better bring his flippers because ICE gators are lurking.”

The folks at Fox News may or may not have realized that the idea of treating people of color as bait for alligators is not exactly new. Researchers at the Jim Crow Museum found several references to Black babies being used as alligator bait in post-Civil War publications throughout the South.

According to sources uncovered by the Jim Crow Museum Black babies were dipped in streams and swamps to lure alligators and pulled out as the reptiles approached.

It is hard to process the thinking that could lead a person to actually use a live human baby as bait for an alligator. That is why the objects in the Jim Crow Museum are so important - they help tell the story of a society that defined African Americans as "sub-human" by portraying them as savage and worthless creatures ("Americans Forced", 1944). If people are indoctrinated, over and over again, with items, images, objects, and practices that devalue the humanity of African Americans, then practices like "African Dodger", "Human Zoos" and "Alligator bait" become possible,” The Jim Crow Museum.

There is some debate over the veracity of these stories. The Jim Crow Museum cited several newspaper articles that included stories about children being used as bait from 1890 to 1923. They may have been sensational tales meant to sell papers but the notion of Black children being used in this way is still horribly dehumanizing.

Depicting Black children in as bait for wild animals was another method to terrorize and devalue Black Americans.

Images of Black children as alligator bait occurred during a time when Black lives were routinely extinguished by angry white mobs who rarely faced consequences for their actions. According to the NAACP 4,743 lynchings occurred in the U.S. from 1882 to 1968.

The highest number of lynchings during that time period occurred in Mississippi, with 581 recorded. Georgia was second with 531, and Texas was third with 493.

Images of Black children and babies being fed to alligators were also common in racist propaganda in the 18th, 19th and even early 20th century - postcards, product packaging, posters and even household trinkets included images of Black children being threatened or even consumed by alligators.

There was even a song written in 1899 called, “Mammy’s Little Alligator Bait.”

In 2020 the University of Florida banned a “gator bait” chant used during athletic games due to outrage over its origins.

Pete Hegseth Had an Audience of One

On Thursday morning Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held a press conference alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine to discuss, Operation Midnight Hammer, the recent bombing of nuclear weapon development sites in Iran.

Throughout the press conference Hegseth berated the press and and an unknown employee within the Defense Intelligence Agency who leaked an early U.S. intelligence assessment that said the U.S. did not destroy the core components of Iran’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months.

It could take weeks if not months to get an accurate Battle Damage Assessment from the bombed sites in Iran. It’s also unknown at this time how much enriched uranium might have been removed from the sites targeted by the U.S. military.

This wasn’t going to stop Hegseth from screaming at the press corps to just accept his version of events.

While General Caine remained far more restrained in his approach while describing the mission Hegseth was unhinged and emotional. He also mentioned President Trump ten times in his remarks while Caine never brought him up once.

“What President Trump accomplished in NATO yesterday was game changing and historic . . . the president's talked about President Trump accomplished it . . . you heard the prime ministers and presidents of other countries. To a man and to a woman looking at President Trump and saying, this never could have happened . . . yeah, maybe they'll be a little mention here or there. But because it was under President Trump's leadership, because it was because Americans are responding to him as commander in chief. The press corps doesn't want to write about him. . . President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history . . . President Trump created the conditions to end the war . . . because you and I mean specifically you, the press, specifically you, the press corps, because you cheer against Trump so hard. It's like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes . . . maybe the way the Trump administration is represented isn’t true . . . President Trump talked about for 20 years, and no other presidents had the courage to actually do,” said Hegseth.

We will likely know soon if Iran is still developing nuclear weapons or has enough enriched uranium to be a threat to Israel, the United States and its neighbors. Insulting the press corp won’t change reality.

Beware of Sleeper Cells - Absolutely Nowhere is Safe!

The term ‘sleeper cell’ appeared in last week’s transcripts 26 times across all programs. According to NAADSN (North American and Arctic Defense and Security Network) a sleeper cell is a group of individuals, often terrorists or spies, who operate in a clandestine manner, remaining dormant or inactive until activated by a specific order or trigger. They blend into the target environment, often living seemingly ordinary lives, and avoid drawing attention to themselves until the time for action arrives.

On Tuesday on “Fox & Friends” Ainsley Earhardt interviewed Bryan Dean Wright, formally CIA Operations Officer, and host of The Wright Report podcast.

(This is an edit of a longer interview.)

Earhardt: The FBI is increasing its surveillance on potential threats of Iran backed terror plots in the United States after the Biden administration's open border policies put us all at risk.

(As Earhardt spoke Fox News producers included a media clip of a large group of Black migrants walking next to the wall at the southern border.)

Wright: You look at the broader number 9 to 10 million that came across, over the course of the Biden four years, even to just 0.1% of those turned out to be Iranians, whether they be declared or the got-aways. We have a problem. . . . those individuals obviously traveled with other illegals who are desperately poor and in many cases are looking for money. Hezbollah does pay people to engage in criminality.

Earhardt: Well, Brian, we know that there are Iranian assassination squads. Do you know where they are? And is it inevitable that will be attacked?

Wright: Well, let's talk about where they are. We know that there are a lot of communities of people with, backgrounds or Lebanese backgrounds in Los Angeles, throughout Michigan. New York City, unfortunately . . .Will we be hit? The real question here is who's protecting us? President Trump has promised to bring down hell and fury upon Tehran if they attack us in this country. That threat, I think, is what prevent this country from getting hit. So do we have these sabatour teams inside of this country? Yes, I think that is the answer.

Earhardt: Okay, Brian, also, the State Department is warning Americans that are traveling to Sweden that Iran might be directing affiliated criminal gangs to carry out attacks on American tourists. So is it safe to travel abroad? And are there any countries? Sweden? Obviously we're being warned. Any other countries you'd advise people not to go to the summer?

Wright: Well, here's the bad news. Hezbollah has been operating throughout all of Europe over the past 3 or 4 years. We have an example of this in France, in Germany, the U.K. . . so I can't tell you that there are specific countries that you should go to or not, because unfortunately, Iran, not only do they have the Hezbollah cells or they use cover of asylum seekers, but they will hire these kids as young as 12 to engage in criminality. These kids are connected to gangs. So bottom line, it's going to be a very, very dicey summer. And Europe doesn't have a President Trump to protect them. We do. We should be very grateful to that man.

Bryan Dean Wright didn’t mention that Hezbollah has been greatly diminished by the Israeli Defense Forces.

Fox News Hosts Cater to Trump’s Delusions

In 2009 then President Barack Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Since then Donald J. Trump has developed an interest in winning the award for himself. He has whined about the prize on his social media platform Truth Social.

He has mentioned the Nobel Peace Prize in interviews, speeches and campaign rallies.

The folks at Fox News seem eager to feed Trump’s preoccupation with the prize.

On Monday on “The Five” Kayleigh McEnany was the first person to bring it up.

“Where we may see more Middle East peace accords. So, rather than World War Three, we may get more peace rather than 34 felony counts. President Trump may end up with 34 Nobel Peace Prizes.”

Emily Compagno boasted of Trump’s nomination for the award.

“Trump has been officially nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Do agree that he's earned it?” she asked Harold Ford Jr.

“We'll see,” said Ford.

Trump was nominated by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) on June 24th after the president ordered the U.S. military to strike several targets in Iran.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) brought up the Nobel Peace Prize twice during a short appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Tuesday.

“Peace in the Middle East, right? I mean, is that how the impeachment articles are going to read that the guy brought peace to a thousand year conflict in record time, and therefore we want him out of office? Sounds more to me like a citation for a Nobel Peace Prize . . . I mean, again, sounds like a citation to a Nobel Peace Prize to me.”

Clay Travis Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

On Friday on “Jesse Watters Primetime” Outkick founder Clay Travis brought up the political makeup of the Supreme Court.

“Six to three. Sounds like a big majority, Jesse. If Hillary Clinton had won in 2016, these cases would have been decided five 4 or 6 three the other way. I mean, as important as these decisions are, it's only by the grace of God in President Trump's first term that we're getting these results. Otherwise, Crazytown would have taken over.”

Travis was referring to the case Trump v. CASA, Inc., the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, limited the power of federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions, which halt the enforcement of government policies across the entire country.

The ruling, authored by Justice Barrett, found that federal courts likely lack the statutory authority to issue these broad injunctions. The decision restricts the relief courts can grant to only the parties involved in the specific case, effectively preventing a single judge from blocking a policy nationwide.

Fox Ignored Another Defamation Lawsuit

On Friday on the PBS News Hour co-anchor Amna Nawaz briefly mentioned a story Fox News completely ignored.

“California Governor Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for alleged defamation over its coverage of a phone call he had with President Trump earlier this month. He's seeking $787 million in damages. That's the same amount Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems to settle its defamation lawsuit. Newsom also wants an on air apology from Jesse Waters, saying that the Fox anchor accused him of lying about the call on his show. Newsom and Trump did speak around the time of the recent protest in Los Angeles, though they disagree over the timeline. Fox news dismissed the lawsuit as a, quote, publicity stunt.”

Stories Fox News Ignored

Every week I compare the hours of Fox I’ve analyzed to five hours of the PBS News Hour. The following list are stories PBS covered that Fox News did not. Source - PBS News Hour transcripts

• Updates in the Israel-Hamas War

  • On Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, witnesses and hospital officials say Israeli fire killed at least 44 people near aid distribution sites in Central and Southern Gaza. Gaza's new food distribution locations have seen almost daily violence and chaos since opening last month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds near the sites. Israel has said it's fired warning shots at suspects who approach its forces. (PBS News Hour)

  • Last week Gaza's health authorities announced the total number of Palestinians killed in the war so far has surpassed 56,000. (PBS News Hour)

  • On Wednesday the Israeli military says that seven of its soldiers were killed in Gaza when Hamas militants attached a bomb to their armored vehicle. On the same day Palestinian health officials say Israeli attacks killed at least 79 people. More than 30 of them died while trying to reach desperately needed aid. Israel says it targets only militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas. (PBS News Hour)

  • On Thursday in Central Gaza hospital officials and witnesses say an Israeli airstrike killed at least 18 people as they waited for flour. Witnesses say the strike came as a crowd was getting aid from a Palestinian police unit that had confiscated the goods from gangs. (PBS News Hour)

• Updates in the Ukraine-Russia War

  • In Ukraine, officials say a Russian missile and drone attack killed at least 14 civilians. Nine of those deaths were in the capital, Kyiv. (PBS News Hour)

  • NATO Chief Mark Rutte pledged continued unwavering support for Ukraine as leaders gathered in the Netherlands for the NATO summit. Member nations agreed to a pledge to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense spending. Spain was the only member country who wouldn’t agree to the new spending guidelines. (PBS News Hour)

• The number of abortions in the U.S. rose in 2024 due to a growing number of women obtaining abortion pills via telehealth. A report found that one in four abortions last year used pills prescribed virtually. That's up from one in 20 just before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago. The increase could explain why fewer women crossed state lines to receive abortions in 2024 compared to the year earlier. It comes amid a flurry of lawsuits and proposed legislation in Republican-led states aiming to restrict access to abortion pills. (PBS News Hour)

• President Trump's media company is buying back $400 million worth of its own stock. Such moves often help lift a company's trading price. Shares of Trump Media and Technology Group, which runs the TRUTH Social platform, have dropped more than 40% this year. The stock ended about a third of 1% higher following the announcement. (PBS News Hour)

• The acclaimed war correspondent Rod Nordland has died. Over four decades, he covered most of the world's major conflicts for The New York Times and other publications. Nordland also wrote a memoir called "Waiting for the Monsoon" about living with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Rod Nordland was 75 years old. (PBS News Hour)

• U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told lawmakers that he's hired back nearly 1,000 staff who'd been laid off from the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. Kennedy had vowed to cut 10,000 jobs across those agencies, plus the Food and Drug Administration. He acknowledged today that some who were let go are needed, after all, even as he maintained that shrinking his department remains a priority. (PBS News Hour)

• The Trump administration is rolling back decades-old protections for nearly 60 million acres of National Forest. The rule had prevented logging, mining and road-building in designated areas across more than 40 states. The new changes would open those sites, about a third of national forest land, up for development. (PBS News Hour)

• In Kenya, chaos erupted in the streets as police clashed with protesters amid growing public anger over police brutality and corruption.

  In the capital city of Nairobi, demonstrators scrambled from tear gas and rubber bullets. A Kenyan rights group says at least eight people were killed nationwide and hundreds injured. Today's unrest comes one year to the day since at least 60 people were killed in anti-tax protests. Young activists say they have yet to see any accountability. (PBS News Hour)

• On Capitol Hill, President Trump's nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put herself at odds with her boss, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on the issue of vaccines. During a Senate confirmation hearing, Susan Monarez called the jabs lifesaving. And she drew a contrast with Kennedy, who has suggested a link between vaccines and autism, which is contrary to scientific evidence. (PBS News Hour)

• In France, violent thunderstorms killed at least two people and injured 17 more. French media is reporting that toppled trees were to blame for the two fatalities, one each in Southwest and Northwest France. The storm also damaged an 11th century church in Normandy. Its roof and bell tower crashed down into the nave and the downpours even leaked onto the floors of Parliament, with lawmakers pausing their debate to look up at the water dripping down. (PBS News Hour)

• Former Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy has died. As a Democrat from New York's Fourth Congressional District, she was known as the doyen of anti-gun advocates in the House. McCarthy's activism on the issue began after her husband was shot and killed in a mass shooting back in 1993. That led to a congressional run in 1996, which she won. She served in the House for 18 years.

  In 2013, McCarthy announced that she was being treated for lung cancer after she retired from Congress soon after. Carolyn McCarthy was 81 years old. (PBS News Hour)

• Bill Moyers, a legend in the world of journalism and a longtime member of the extended PBS family, died Thursday at the age of 91. Moyers was perhaps best known for his long-running programs and documentaries he produced at PBS. Some of those programs included the weekly "Bill Moyers Journal," and documentary series, including "Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth," which drew 30 million viewers. (PBS News Hour)

By the Numbers