By Douglas V. Gibbs
When Ronald Reagan was President of the United States he sought to secure the border, but the Democrats stated they would not help secure the border unless those who were already in the country and playing by the rules could be given amnesty. President Reagan reluctantly agreed, and approximately 2.7 million illegal aliens were granted amnesty under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. It was a compromise to fix what was seen as a broken system, but the Democrats failed to support Reagan’s enforcement mechanisms once amnesty was granted, which in the long run encouraged more illegal immigration. President Reagan developed a practice of “trust but verify” after being lied to by the Democrats, but the damage had been done. Nearly three million people had been rewarded for breaking the law and hiding in the shadows until the Democrats could work a deal that would legalize the undocumented Democratic Party voters.
The Democrats took a blood-bath for their border policy, or should I say their failure to have a border policy other than to keep it weak and open for illegal aliens to cross. So, the next Democratic President adjusted.
In his 1995 State of the Union Address President Bill Clinton explained, “…rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country; the jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring…we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes to better identify illegal aliens in the work force…we are a nation of immigrants but we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years and we must do more to stop.”
Since then, the Democrats have realized that they don’t have enough votes to win elections in perpetuity, so they changed back to being for an open border. As time has passed, their opinion on the issue has become more radical. While in the past they disagreed with Republicans on the details of immigration policy, both sides of the aisle recognized that they needed to stand united in supporting the law enforcement officers carrying out immigration law, and other federal officers upholding federal law.
Not anymore.
In recent months, ICE and Border Patrol agents – men and women who put their lives on the line daily – have found themselves in the crosshairs of a dangerous new movement. What began as fiery rhetoric has escalated into real-world violence.
According to The Daily Wire, a shocking plot involving at least seven suspects aimed to ambush and kill ICE officers – an attack thwarted before it could unfold. In San Antonio, a city council candidate openly called for violence against immigration agents, as reported by Breitbart. And tragically, a gunman in tactical gear was killed after opening fire on Border Patrol officers, in a story that even made mainstream headlines.
Let’s not pretend that these incidents exist in a vacuum.
For years now, certain political voices have drawn comparisons between Donald J. Trump and Adolf Hitler. They have called MAGA supporters “NAZIs.” And, especially of late, these same voices have drawn comparisons between immigration enforcement and Nazi Germany. Labels like “Gestapo” and “concentration camps” weren’t just careless metaphors – they were ideological Molotov cocktails. Did they really believe that there would be no fallout?
When elected officials and cable news pundits demonize federal officers as monsters, it dehumanizes them in the public eye. And when people are dehumanized, some will justify attacking their opponents violently.
What’s telling is that while the mainstream media expressed shock over the violence, they failed to connect the dots. A vast majority of Americans support tough immigration policies like mass deportation. The public hasn’t moved to the fringes – the conversation around them has. The loudest voice, the squeaky wheel one might say, is on the Left. Rather than engage with policy substance, they have opted for moral outrage and incendiary language.
Let’s be clear: political disagreement is healthy. But when disagreement crosses the line into vilification, when public figures shrug off threats against law enforcement as “understandable,” when office holders try to bum-rush the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security or try to break into ICE facilities, and when political figures call for violence against federal officers or any law enforcement officials it poisons the well of civil discourse and endangers lives.
This isn’t about stifling speech – I’m all about freedom of speech and having a healthy political debate. It’s about recognizing that words have power – and some have used that power irresponsibly. The brave men and women of ICE and the Border Patrol deserve our gratitude, not our scorn. They are on the front lines protecting our country and executing the laws of the United States. If we fail to protect them, and if government officials continue to incite and encourage violence against federal officers, it not only creates an environment of disrespect for the rule of law, but it ultimately leads to the kind of violence that destroys civilizations.
— Political Pistachio Constitutional News and Commentary
