Fox News’ Martha MacCallum didn’t let a little thing like pretending to be an objective Fox News host get in the way of promoting Donald Trump’s illegal and immoral plan to punish sanctuary cities with immigrant detainees during a series of “questions” to Bernie Sanders during the town hall last night.

Just two days ago, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace noted that Trump’s plan to punish sanctuary cities with immigrants is both illegal and counterproductive. Although Wallace didn’t say so, Trump’s claims that immigrants are disease-ridden criminals makes the plan horribly immoral.

But MacCallum presented it as a common sense alternative that as merely “controversial.” She never mentioned the illegality. She prefaced her question to Sanders by saying that sanctuary cities “have said in the past that they have open doors for immigrants.” Then she added, “So the overflow that we have no capacity for, where do you think they should go?”

Sanders replied that there is “a serious problem” at the border. He characterized it as “desperate people fleeing violence and misery in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, with little children walking a thousand miles. They’re not trying to sneak in.” They’re coming to the border and asking for asylum, Sanders continued.

Sanders prescription: “We need sensible immigration reform which includes among other things, getting hundreds of new judges, because the system is now overflowing, who can deal with these issues. … You need to have many, many more judges to expedite the process.”

Sanders also called for “real comprehensive immigration reform.” He got loud applause and cheers from the audience when he said, “Let me say this very clearly. We don’t need to demonize immigrants.”

But MacCallum seemed determined to legitimize Trump’s viciousness. “We have overflowing facilities,” she said. “They need to go somewhere because they’re in that asylum process. Where would you put them?”

Sanders suggested “building proper facilities” on the border.

“So the people that live on the border should have more facilities in their states but sanctuary cities, which have said they’re open to accepting people should not take more?” MacCallum snarked.

“This is a political act on the president – “ Sanders began.

“That’s a real question,” MacCallum claimed. The discussion moved on without further talk about the sanctuary cities.

But why would any objective host try to advocate for Trump’s plan? MacCallum could have merely asked Sanders for his thoughts on immigration and let any audience members challenge him or she could have brought up Trump’s plan and just let Sanders respond without her snarky comments.

Just as troubling, if not more so, is Sanders' failure to challenge how Fox operates as the propaganda outlet for Trump. That is especially so now that it has been announced he will do another Fox town hall on March 9, 2020.

Watch MacCallum demonstrate why the DNC does not think Fox News is an appropriate venue for a Democratic primary debate below, from the network’s April 15, 2019 Bernie Sanders hall. (You can watch the entire town hall here.)

(MacCallum image via screen grab)

(Updated 3/6/2020)