Charles Barkley Sounds Off On Trump Immigration Policy During NCAA Tourney

Charles Barkley had a few things to get off his chest about the current U.S. immigration policy, launching into a passionate rant about the “travesty” going on in the country.

The moment went down during a segment about UCONN star Alex Karaban and his family — who immigrated to the States from Ukraine and Belarus in the mid-90s/early 2000s — before their Elite Eight game against Duke.

After the feature, Barkley said he loved Karaban and his family, but noted immigration is a “very touchy subject” for him.

“The way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace,” Barkley said.

“I think there’s a difference between amazing immigrants and criminal immigrants, and 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.”

“That’s a great immigrant story … but some of the stuff happening to immigrants in our country right now is really unfortunate and is really unfair, but immigrants built this country, and we should admire them and respect them.”

The moment with the legendary hooper comes after “No King” protests over the weekend, where demonstrators criticized President Donald Trump‘s policies.

Of course, immigration enforcement was one of the main tenets of Trump’s campaign, and a major reason why he won the 2024 election.