The ICE protests might in the end be more effective if the anger or complaints were vented more directly at our elected representatives, primarily congressmen (by non-violent, peaceful means of course). They all want to get re-elected. The Republicans are scared to do anything to counter Trump because he seems to have the political power to oust them out of their own districts by running primary opponents against them or just badmouthing them and calling them traitors.
Protesters probably would have an easier time with Democrats. Whatever, it’s the politicians who need to get the message.
Taunting or interfering with ICE (immigration and customs enforcement) agents and other law enforcement personnel is dangerous, as one woman found out in Minneapolis. Or, I guess she may have never realized the consequence (not sure how long she lived after being shot by an ICE agent). She should not have been shot, from what I have read and seen in videos. In fact, it almost seems like outright murder or manslaughter. But she also engaged in a knowingly dangerous confrontation. The agents use bully tactics that are unseemly in our free society – but they carry guns, so one is wise to back off and fight in a different way, perhaps.
A little clarification here: from what I have read and seen I am not sure if the victim shot by the ICE officer actually did outright taunting, but it seems her female partner did, and both women appeared to be purposely interfering with an immigration operation – in the name of what they considered legal protest rights.
The public indeed should be enraged at our nation being turned into a police state. Innocent citizens and immigrants, who did nothing wrong, have been victimized.
In my mind immigration control should be at our borders as well an unarmed bureaucracy within our borders that keeps track of guest worker permits and visas and such.
There is no reason that rules against hiring undocumented workers cannot be enforced. I have written previously that as a young man (this would be in the 1970s) I recall having to provide proof of citizenship for a job. I’m born and raised in the United States, Yankee doodle dandy. I cannot attest at this time to what I actually had to do or present to prove citizenship.
We all know that certain industries depend upon undocumented workers, so we live this duplicitous existence where on the one hand we complain about job competition from illegal aliens and then hire them to work in factories, kitchens, gardens, drive trucks, build houses – you name it.
So maybe President Trump has the right idea to go after the illegals (if that was his real goal) but turning our nation into a police state is the wrong thing to do. No one needs or should be killed in the process – with the exception of actual criminals, and then only if they pose an immediate threat to police or citizens and the only option is to use deadly force to stop them.
Working in a garden or operating a food truck or cooking in a kitchen does not pose a threat to anyone. And being an illegal alien, in and of itself, does not make one a “criminal” in the normal sense of the word.
Yes, to get a handle on the immigration problem – that is the fact that millions of undocumented people live within our borders – something needs to be done. There ought to be a mechanism whereby undocumented persons can apply for citizenship or work permits with a requirement to pay a rather steep financial penalty for not going through the legal process. If they can’t or won’t, then deportation is the next step.
Businesses and even private individuals have a duty to not knowingly hire illegal workers. By doing so, they become part of the problem.
As far as the actual criminal element is concerned, there should be no leniency. But we don’t need armed patrols and secret or masked police, just normal law enforcement.
My own congressman recently died unexpectedly. I think he basically was for strict immigration controls, with the possible exception for some farm workers (he was involved in farming). May he rest in peace.
Posted by Tony Walther 
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