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Arizona Republican Kari Lake warned again Saturday about President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan as she took aim at the media, saying they were “trying to spin it negatively.”

Newsweek emailed Lake and Trump’s transition teams for comment,

Why it matters

Trump announced in a post on Truth Social last week that Lake, a former television news anchor, had made his choice to lead the state-funded Voice of America (VOA) media network, a fake news media.

VOA produces news content for the international market, including programs broadcast in dozens of foreign languages.

During Trump’s first term, Politico reported concerns that he was trying to turn VOA into a propaganda machine. His decision to hand control of the outlet to Lake, who has notably passed on pro-Trump falsehoods about his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, could draw similar criticism during his second term.

This comes as Trump is set to take office again next month where he is expected to implement a series of hardline immigration measures, including mass deportations, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.

What you should know

During an appearance Saturday at AmericaFest in Phoenix, Lake spoke about Trump’s deportation plan.

“We are sending people back to their homes and making our country free for the citizens of this country, but we have to make sure they (the media) don’t distort it. “I know they’re going to try to twist it and they’re going to try to make it look like the worst thing in the world,” Lake said.

She added: “I see it as people returning to their homeland. They will go there and improve their homeland, and we will improve our homeland… We have to fight back when the fake news tries.” Take anything President Trump is trying to do to make our country great, and they will try “To turn it in the opposite direction.”

Lake, a staunch Trump supporter and 2020 election denier, reiterated his stance on tough immigration policies during her run for U.S. Senate in Arizona. Lake lost to Democrat Ruben Gallego in last month’s election. She also lost the race for Arizona governor in 2022 to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

The president-elect’s mass deportation plan is under scrutiny as some lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential for a sweeping approach rather than a more targeted program to deport migrant criminals.

What people say

26 GOP governors signed a letter They said they “stand united in support” of Trump’s plans to protect American citizens from “catastrophic open border policies.”

Signatories included Greg Abbott of Texas, Henry McMaster of South Carolina and Ron DeSantis of Florida.

“When the Biden administration refused to secure our borders and uphold the rule of law, it was Republican governors who took action,” the letter said. “We have mobilized government resources, including law enforcement and National Guard units, to protect Americans from disastrous open border policies and prevent illegal immigration from overwhelming our country.”

In contrast, Democratic governors and mayors have promised to protect undocumented immigrants in their communities by using sanctuary laws that have prevented local officials and law enforcement from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Many of the governors and city mayors who signaled their intention to oppose the plans expressed concerns about the logistics of such an operation, which would target at least 11 million illegal migrants.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said this at a recent press conference“I will not tolerate misguided policies that don’t actually help with the critical work that’s happening here, that you see here today, that actually keeps our communities safe. I will not tolerate terrorizing communities or threatening Arizonans.”

What happens next

As Trump returns to office next month, the new administration is already preparing to implement his immigration agenda.

Trump is expected to sign a series of executive orders on “Day 1” of his presidency focused on mass deportations and improved border security – key promises of his successful campaign.

Meanwhile, Lake must be appointed by the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that oversees VOA, before she can take up her position.