Those who believe that illegal immigrants should not only be allowed to stay in the U.S. but also should be protected from Immigration authorities are mounting a boisterous offensive through myriad news outlets online, in print and over the airwaves.
The hysteria and hyperbole are rather staggering.
Over the Top Much?
One leftwing website headline screamed that the Trump administration’s recent decision to deploy elite tactical units to so-called sanctuary cities is “Straight Up Nazi Sh*t.” Surfing a little farther into the waters is CommonDreams.org who bellowed in 16-point font that “These are Bad Times” then continued, “It is unbelievable how much this action will undermine public safety. Unbelievable.”
The New York Times called the president’s latest move “a supercharged arrest operation.” Naureen Shah of the ACLU asserted that the move “will put lives at risk by further militarizing our streets.” Vox argued that “research suggests… [s]anctuary policies don’t appear to make a city more dangerous.” Their inquiry included studies from the Center for American Progress and a 2017 report published in the Urban Affairs Review.
It doesn’t take much research to know that during President Trump’s tenure in office, local authorities and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have been working at cross purposes regarding illegal immigration. Matthew Albence, acting director of ICE, pointed out the arrests made in sanctuary cities are all for naught because these locales release criminals back to the street. This, Albence says, “increases the occurrence of preventable crimes and, more importantly, preventable victims.”
The Times, which originally broke the story, reports that about 100 U.S. Border Patrol tactical unit officers (BORTAC) will be sent to the cities in question. Let’s spell that out: one hundred — not one thousand — just 100 officers. In no way could this be considered a large-scale military invasion of the homeland.
Perhaps what has those on the left going bat-guano is that the administration’s multi-pronged approach to immigration enforcement is working. Liberty Nation’s Kelli Ballard writes a weekly column on the subject and recently reported that illegal crossings are way down. “Since May 2019, at what the CBP described as ‘the peak of the humanitarian and border security crisis,’ necessary enforcement actions on the Southwest border have seen a whopping 74.5% decrease,” Ballard wrote.
(Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
The leftist argument, as outlined by the Gray Lady, is that efforts to round up illegals in big cities only serves to push “undocumented people further into the shadows, ultimately making cities less safe.” The left often makes a similar claim when it comes to terrorists. The military operation that took out Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani was widely opposed by them even though the Iranian commander was responsible for killing hundreds of American servicemen. The New York Times published an article postulating: “In ordering the drone strike that killed Iran’s top security commander, Mr. Trump challenged predictions it could lead to a wider war in the Middle East.” These imaginary confrontations advanced by left-leaning American news organizations fuel fear but are rarely revisited when outcomes on the ground belie their predictions.
One wonders what will happen if these elite tactical units arrest and deport a large number of illegals resulting in a lower inner-city crime rate. Will these so-called progressives cry foul?
Those on the political left are so often pro-active when it comes to domestic issues that involve American citizens. From something as significant as controlling firearms to the minutia of enforcing soda sizes and types of straws, they can’t seem to keep their mitts off our every choice and decision. Why, then, is controlling an illegal immigrant population so offensive to them?
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Read more from Leesa K. Donner.
