Charles Barkley tees off on alleged treatment of 'amazing immigrants'

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., discusses the continued debate over DHS funding after the House rejected a Senate funding bill on ‘Hannity.’

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley used a segment about UConn Huskies star Alex Karaban to go on a political rant during CBS’ broadcast of March Madness on Sunday.

CBS featured Karaban in a piece about his family. His mother, Olga, came to Massachusetts from Ukraine with her parents and grandparents in 1996. His father, Alexei, immigrated to the U.S. from Belarus on a work visa in 2001.

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UConn forward Alex Karaban speaks during a press conference ahead of a game against Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament 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 right now because this is a really touchy subject for me," he said. "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. 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.

"And that’s a great immigrant story. We have a lot of great immigrant stories out there that their stories need to be told, but some of the stuff that’s happening to immigrants in our country right now is really unfortunate, and it’s really unfair. But immigrants built this country, and we should admire them and respect them."

Charles Barkley during a pro-am prior to Arnold Palmer Invitational at Arnold Palmer's