A Fox News reporter had a face-off with an angry anti-ICE protester with a ‘dirty mouth’ during a live broadcast.
Live TV can be unpredictable (something Survivor host Jeff Probst has learned more than once), and Alexis McAdams’ latest segment is a clear example of how quickly a report can veer off track.
McAdams was reporting from an anti-ICE demonstration outside a detention center in New Jersey on Tuesday (May 26). Inside Newark’s Delaney Hall — a facility with space for more than 1,000 detainees — people being held there are reportedly refusing food to protest conditions.
According to the New Jersey Monitor, around 300 detainees are believed to be participating. The complaints cited include ‘overcrowding, lack of medical attention, and inedible food’.
During the broadcast, McAdams approached one of the protesters, but the exchange escalated almost immediately.
“You have a dirty mouth,” she told one woman.
Turning back to the audience, McAdams said: “So, just for people that want to know what it’s like to cover these protests, it’s constant with this, it’s what these people do.”
The protester then raised her voice even more, yelling: “People inside are dying, and you’re lying!”
McAdams responded: “They want people who are in this country illegally to be released out onto the streets,” before adding: “DHS says that’s what they’re not going to be doing.”
At that point, the protester repeatedly shouted that McAdams was a ‘Nazi b*tch’.
Back at the studio, host Will Cain reacted to the moment by quipping: “Eloquent argument made against the presence of Alexis McAdams.”
After the clip circulated online, many viewers applauded McAdams for keeping her composure in a tense situation.
One person wrote: “She is awesome. I’ve seen her in some precarious situations and she always keeps her cool. So effective!”
Another added on Twitter: “Alexis is awesome. Love when she reports,” while someone else suggested the angry protester should wash her mouth out with soap.
McAdams’ colleague Joe Concha also weighed in, posting: “@AlexisMcAdamsTV is one of the best we have at Fox News. Fearless and never stops working.”
Meanwhile, relatives of people held at Delaney Hall have been speaking publicly about what they say their loved ones are facing inside the facility.
Ruales Zumba, whose 18-year-old daughter Andriana was detained earlier this month, told the New Jersey Monitor: “I’m scared for her life. She shouldn’t be in there. She’s just a kid.”
It’s also believed Andriana has missed her high school prom because she remains in custody.