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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley used a segment about UConn Huskies star Alex Karaban to launch into a political rant during CBS’ March Madness broadcast on Sunday.
CBS featured Karaban in an article about his family. His mother, Olga, came to Massachusetts from Ukraine with her parents and grandparents in 1996. His father, Alexei, immigrated to the United States from Belarus on a work visa in 2001.
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UConn forward Alex Karaban (11) speaks during a news conference before a game against Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament on 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 now because this is a very sensitive topic for me,” he said. “I love that boy and his family, but the way some of these other immigrants are being treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace. I think there’s a difference between incredible immigrants and criminal immigrants. I think what’s happening in our country, what we’re doing to some of these incredible immigrants, is really unfortunate and really sad.
“And that’s a great immigrant story. We have a lot of great immigrant stories that need to be told, but some of the things that are happening to immigrants in our country right now are really unfortunate and 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 the 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 did not cite any examples of legal immigrants being mistreated in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has routinely announced arrests of criminal illegal immigrants who have been accused of heinous crimes in the US.
Still, DHS and agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are often criticized 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 are making it clear that no one is above the law in this city, that everyone has to respect the rule of law,” Mamdani said. “I have made it clear to the president, both in our private conversations and in our public conversations, that I believe ICE is a rogue agency.”
Protesters hold a sign reading “Stop ICE” after being removed from the building by Seattle police during a bill signing event with Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on limiting the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers and making it a crime to impersonate a law enforcement officer, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Mamdani added that he believes ICE is “reckless” and “does nothing to advance the cause of public safety.”
