NBA legend Charles Barkley has come under scrutiny after his previous comments calling for stricter immigration policies in America resurfaced on social media – in the wake of his viral March Madness speech.
On Sunday night, Barkley stunned CBS’ viewers by exploding into a wild rant about immigration as ‘No Kings’ protests against Donald Trump descended into chaos across the nation over the weekend.
During a break in play, Barkley, 63, seized upon analysis about UConn star Alex Karaban – whose parents are immigrants from Belarus and Ukraine – and used it as an opportunity to discuss the issue of immigration in America amid heightened political tension across the nation.
While millions of Americans shared Barkley’s view as they rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies on Saturday, the NBA legend’s comments sparked fury on social media, with fans wishing he’d stick to matters on the court.
Now, in light of his viral comments, fans have dug up a previous rant from Barkley back in 2024, where he suggested that ‘the border is a joke’.
In a conversation with Stephen A. Smith, Barkley had reflected on the news that a group of migrants were accused of assaulting two NYPD officers – before attempting to shoplift about $608 in items from a Macy’s store in Queens just days later.
NBA legend Charles Barkley has come under scrutiny after his previous comments calling for tighter immigration policies in America resurfaced on social media
In 2024, Barkley said ‘that ‘the border is a joke’ after a group of migrants were seen assaulting two NYPD officers – before attempting to shoplift from a Macy’s store in Queens days later
However, on Sunday night, Barkley stunned CBS viewers by saying: ‘What we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants is really unfortunate, and it’s really sad.’
Barkley said: ‘I’ve been coming here to New York, to do this show, for the last couple of months and you see the streets of New York.
‘Three weeks ago on TV, they had these migrants on camera kicking and beating up these two cops. They were out of jail in twenty-four hours. And then, two days later, they caught them robbing Macy’s.
‘First of all, they beat up cops – how are you out of jail in twenty-four hours? And then clearly two days later they’re robbing Macy’s. Anybody – whether you’re Democrat, Republican, or dog or cat or puppy – you know that’s wrong, period.’
‘We need law and order, Stephen A. We need law and order. Trying to fix inequalities has nothing to do with letting people go in stores and rob people.
‘That has nothing to do with diversity or having inequalities. Letting random people just run in all these stores stealing stuff – because innocent people should always be protected. But we need law and order.’
In the conversation, Smith then asked: ‘How about the fifty-three million in prepaid credit cards for migrants? Black folks [have] been in the streets. Latinos [have] been in the streets homeless. Minorities have been in the streets, starving for years.
‘We ain’t never got anything like that. I grew up on welfare. What are they talking about? I’m like, we ain’t never had nothing like that.’
Barkley agreed with Smith’s take and labelled the controversial $53 million program aimed towards migrant families in New York City as ‘ridiculous’. It was later scrapped.
Venezuelan 19-year-old Darwin Gómez served eight months out of the 364-day jail sentence for beating two police officers in Times Square in January 2024 before he was placed in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
In the 2024 clip, Barkley told Stephen A. Smith: ‘We need law and order. Trying to fix inequalities has nothing to do with letting people go in stores and rob people.’
On Sunday, however, he appeared to take a far more lenient view on immigration when the panel was discussing UConn’s Alex Karaban, whose parents are from Belarus and Ukraine
Barkley issued a plea for Donald Trump to take action after Alex Pretti was killed in Minnesota
It didn’t take long for Barkley’s 2024 comments to go viral once again, with one fan writing on X: ‘But now he’s screaming [that] illegals are being mistreated – pick a lane Charles!’
On Sunday night, Barkley sparked a firestorm on social media after discussing the issue of immigration in America during CBS’ March Madness broadcast.
He said: ‘I want to be very careful with my words right now because this is a touchy subject for me.
‘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 and I think what’s gone on in our country and what we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants is really unfortunate, and it’s really sad.
‘That’s a great immigrant story and we have a lot of great immigrant stories out there that need to be told. But some of the stuff that is happening to immigrants in our country right now is really unfortunate and unfair.’
‘Immigrants built this country, and we should admire them and respect them,’ he concluded.
After Barkley was finished, CBS host Nate Burleson said: ‘Chuck, I love you, bro’.
Meanwhile, ‘multiple’ people were arrested following the ‘No Kings’ rallies on Saturday
Fans were left perplexed by Barkley’s outburst, with one viewer asking: ‘Why is this topic talked about during a college basketball show?’
Another commented: ‘Keep politics out of sports, Chuck. No one cares about your opinion!’
A third posted: ‘Stop politicizing the @NCAA unless you want to go to decreased ratings town like the @NBA – we can do better than these jokers @MarchMadnessMBB’.
‘What does that have to do with the NCAA tournament?’ another viewer asked.
Barkley’s comments on immigration came one day after millions gathered coast to coast for coordinated demonstrations against the president, driven by anger over his immigration crackdown, rising costs and the ongoing war in Iran.
The ‘No Kings’ rally, which organizers had expected to go down as the ‘largest political protest’ in American history, quickly descended into chaos. Violent demonstrators pelted cops with concrete blocks and stormed federal buildings resulting in multiple arrests.
Footage from cities across the nation revealed chaotic scenes involving protesters, federal agents and counter-protesters, with at least ten arrests reported so far.
Millions gathered coast to coast for demonstrations against Donald Trump (Georgia)
ICE has remained operational during the shutdown due to prior funding allocations, even as other DHS agencies face disruptions. Pictured, ICE agents patrol at Washington Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia
The demonstrations came as President Trump’s approval ratings plunged to new lows, with even parts of his own MAGA fanbase expressing growing frustration.
Trump’s administration has made deporting illegal immigrants and defending America’s borders its top priorities during his second term in the White House.
Yet, his recent policies have been met with severe backlash over the course of his first year back in office.
Border Patrol and ICE have launched controversial operations to remove illegal immigrants in a number of major cities across the country.
