A CNN discussion spiraled into a heated back-and-forth after a conservative panelist invoked a 2023 vehicular homicide case that has frequently been cited in debates over the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda.
The tense exchange unfolded during a chaotic segment of NewsNight, where former Donald Trump aide Caroline Sunshine, 30, sparred with former Clinton aide Keith Boykin. Sunshine referenced the Clark County, Ohio, school bus crash that killed 11-year-old Aiden Clark in 2023.
The driver in that crash, 36-year-old Hermanio Joseph, a legal Haitian immigrant, did not have a valid driver’s license. He was convicted in connection with the crash after being charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and felony vehicular homicide, and is serving a prison sentence of nine to 13 years.
Sunshine raised Clark’s death after progressive political strategist Amanda Litman criticized a Thursday Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for mass deportations of people who had been living and working legally in the United States for years.
In making her point, Litman referred to Springfield, Ohio, the city connected to the crash and home to a sizable Haitian community. Estimates put the Haitian population there at roughly 12,000 to 15,000 people, with more than 10,000 arriving over the past five years.
Litman argued that many of those residents “make America great.”
Sunshine immediately challenged that framing, asking, “Was the Haitian migrant who killed 11-year-old Aiden Clark making America better with that action?” Her remark quickly triggered overlapping objections from other panelists.
Boykin entered the fray soon after immigration attorney Raul Reyes accused Sunshine of “conflating migration with crime,” as the panel descended into crosstalk.
Former Donald Trump aide Caroline Sunshine clashed with former Clinton aide Keith Boykin during the Thursday CNN NewsNight segment.
Legal Haitian immigrant Hermanio Joseph veered into the wrong lane and killed 11-year-old Ohio resident Aiden Clark after striking the side of the boy’s school bus on August 22, 2023.
Panel Clash Escalates Over Migrant Crime Argument
Sunshine replied that the columnist should ‘say that’ to the victim’s family.
‘You’re going to kick out 350,000 people because of one case? One case. You’re going to kick out 350,000 people because of one stereotype?’ Boykin interjected, sitting up in his seat.
‘What about all the white people who commit crimes in this country?’ he continued. ‘Are you going to kick them out of this country too?’
‘One life matters. One American life matters,’ Sunshine answered, after repeating that Joseph ‘killed a child.’
‘Is that making America better? I don’t think that’s my definition,’ she quipped.
Visibly outraged, Boykin, 60, said Sunshine’s statements were ‘just as racist as’ Trump’s ‘sh*thole countries’ remark about Haiti and other African nations during a 2018 meeting with lawmakers.
‘But you haven’t answered the question. Is killing an 11-year-old American child making America better?’ Sunshine shot back.
‘The idea that you focus on one Haitian person and use that as justification for a racist foreign policy is disgusting. It’s abhorrent,’ Boykin fumed.
Sunshine brought Clark up after progressive political strategist Amanda Litman lamented a Thursday Supreme Court decision.
Clark was described as a ‘unique, caring and inquisitive soul’ in an obituary. The boy’s death has become a talking point for conservatives to stress the importance of strict policies against immigration.
CNN Panel Erupts Over Haitian Migrant Debate
Sunshine again called attention to the case.
‘It’s disgusting that an 11-year-old was killed by a Haitian migrant who rammed his car into a bus,’ she said. ‘That is disgusting.’
Boykin chided her for supporting a president who ‘smears an entire population.’
‘”A [expletive] country.” A [expletive]?’ he said in disbelief.
Sunshine said Trump was ‘referencing the [Haitian] government, which treats its people poorly.’
‘That shows exactly what MAGA is made of. It’s made of racism,’ concluded Boykin.
The exchange ended there, with host Abby Phillip letting out an uneasy ‘all right.’
‘We got to just leave it there,’ she said, before offering a slight smile and nod to the camera. A commercial followed.
‘That shows exactly what MAGA is made of. It’s made of racism,’ Boykin said at a point. The pair’s back-and-forth was visibly tense.
Crash That Claimed a Young Boy’s Life
Joseph veered into the wrong lane and killed Clark after striking the side of a Clark County school bus on August 22, 2023.
The child was thrown out the emergency exit as the bus rolled off the road, and crushed as the vehicle went over him.
Another 26 students were injured.
