What should a patriotic American think about ICE?
The country is being torn apart over ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Even avid Trump supporters who are very opposed to illegal immigration are beginning to wonder, “Did I vote for this?”
The trigger for the current uproar was the shooting death of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis last week.
There are diametrically opposite views on this, but let’s try to set emotion aside and look at the knowns and unknowns.
Good was not an innocent bystander. She was deliberately blocking traffic with her car – a dangerous and harmful action intended to obstruct law enforcement. She refused to follow orders from a law enforcement officer. Instead of getting out of the car, she followed the advice of her partner to “Drive, baby, drive.” Was she trying to flee or to run over an officer? One cannot know her state of mind, but we do know the road was icy.
Officer Jonathan Ross fired his gun three times and killed her. Was it intentional murder or self-defense? Was he in danger of being run over, or did he perceive he was in such danger and make a split second decision that would ruin his life while ending hers? He had a history of being dragged by a car driven by a “peaceful protester.” Did he have PTSD affecting his reactions? Should ICE have sent him with a deadly weapon into such a situation? Vehicles are being used as deadly weapons by violent rioters who dRive into crowds. How was Ross to know if this woman was just a peaceful mother?
How should we manage the problem of illegal aliens without causing situations like this?
The Trump administration says that there are millions of illegals here, and some are criminals. Even if most are not, massive migration will change the character of a nation, especially if migrants are from an incompatible culture. This is an intentional goal of those who see a strong U.S.A. as an obstacle to their globalist agenda. Numerous apparently well-intentioned groups support them out of motives such as compassion.
Persons with an anti-American agenda have infiltrated both left-wing and right-wing groups, provoking discord and chaos. Even government agencies such as ICE have been infiltrated, resulting in the release of agents’ names so they can be doxxed.
The threat of invasion by swarms of ICE agents has many Americans living in terror of a police state. Innocent people who were here legally – such as German tourists on vacation – have been swept up and detained. Naturalized citizens – including Somalis and Elon Musk – have been threatened with denaturalization and deportation. Recently, a 17-year-old citizen was seized, and when officers verified that he was indeed a citizen, they slammed him to the ground in a Walmart parking lot far from where he worked.
Is this America?
The Trump administration needs to take these concerns very seriously. It must assure us that the rule of law is followed and that persons are treated with decency. Brutality and sadism are not to be tolerated. Persons who are wrongfully detained deserve an apology and compensation. Enforcement agents need to be screened and well-trained. Americans should not fear the midnight knock on the door or an invasion by a SWAT team when there is no evidence that they are a threat.
We do need enforcement of the law – starting with prevention of illegal entry. In the past, immigrants needed to show proof that they could support themselves and not be a burden. All welfare benefits to illegal immigrants need to be stopped. Social Security and welfare rolls need to be purged, and government workers complicit in fraud must be punished. Tax-exempts that settle migrants need to be defunded. Rules governing asylum need to be promptly enforced. Governments should not be paying to house illegals in hotels or rentals – while at the same time forcing suspects out of their homes into wretched detainment centers without due process of law.
There is a law against inciting violence. This needs to be vigorously enforced – against organizations like Antifa, but also against rogue government agents.
The administration claims to be removing “the worst of the worst.” So, let’s see the arrest warrants, and set priorities. ICE should not be meeting quotas by pursuing harmless abuelas.
America needs to be the shining city on the hill. Lawless behavior – including refusal to enforce the law by judges and prosecutors – must not be tolerated inside or outside government.