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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley used a segment about UConn Huskies star Alex Karaban to go on a political rant during CBS’ broadcast of March Madness on Sunday.
CBS featured Karaban in a piece about his family. His mother, Olga, came to Massachusetts from Ukraine with her parents and grandparents in 1996. His father, Alexei, immigrated to the U.S. from Belarus on a work visa in 2001.
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UConn forward Alex Karaban (11) speaks during a press conference ahead of a game against Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
After the segment aired, Barkley lamented the alleged treatment of legal immigrants.
“I want to be careful with my words right now because this is a really touchy subject for me,” he said. “I love that kid and his family, but the way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace. I think there’s a difference between amazing immigrants and criminal immigrants. I think what’s going on in our country, what we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants, is really unfortunate and it’s really sad.
“And that’s a great immigrant story. We have a lot of great immigrant stories out there that their stories need to be told but some of the stuff that’s happening to immigrants in our country right now is really unfortunate and it’s really unfair. But immigrants built this country and we should admire them and respect them.”
Former NBA player Charles Barkley during a pro-am prior to Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge on March 4, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
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Barkley didn’t cite any example of legal immigrants being treated poorly in the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has routinely announces arrests of criminal illegal immigrants who have been accused of heinous crimes in the U.S.
Still, DHS and agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) routinely come under fire for their tactics in arresting illegal immigrants.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered fresh criticism of ICE ahead of a “No Kings” rally.
“We’re making clear that no one is above the law in this city, that everyone has to follow the rule of law,” Mamdani said. “I have made clear to the president, both in our private conversations and our public conversations, about the fact that I believe that ICE is a rogue agency.”
Protesters hold up a “Stop ICE” sign after being removed from the building by Seattle Police during a bill-signing event with Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson regarding limiting facial coverings on law enforcement officers and making it a crime to impersonate a peace officer, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Mamdani added that he believes ICE is “reckless” and “delivers nothing toward the furthering of the cause of public safety.”
’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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