NBC News reported “at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast” as liberals and immigration proponents protest ICE raids in their cities. The protests have spread from Los Angeles to New York, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Baltimore, Portland, Seattle and other cities. Many of the protests, however, are much smaller than those in California and lack the flames and clashes with police that attract TV coverage.
My take is the ICE raids in California gave liberals the excuse they were looking for to throw a few rocks, set off fireworks, attack some federal buildings, and light some police cars on fire. By calling in the National Guard, Trump gave leftist politicians the excuse they were looking for to attack the president. Since Newsome, the guy headlining the opposition, may well run for president in 2028, he jumped on the opportunity to get some publicity and win the hearts and minds of fellow leftists.
Governor Newsome appears to have forgotten that approximately two-thirds of American support President Trump’s agenda to deport illegal aliens.
Are the Jack Booted Thugs Back?
As a gun owner, I am part of a group that has in the past been targeted by federal offers who earned the name “jack booted thugs” during the Clinton Administration. As a result, I can empathize with people who complain that illegals are being arrested by officers who refuse to identify themselves or their agency and who are hauled off to detention without the chance to prove they are in the country legally.
Of course, firearm ownership is protected in the constitution while entering the country illegally is not. The Supreme Court has granted the government the ability to use powers against illegal aliens that would be unconstitutional if applied to citizens. You could argue this makes illegal aliens “second-class citizens,” to which I would remind you: they are not citizens of any kind.
Just as being on probation or parole allows probation officers to make unwarranted searches, require drug tests, and to send them back to jail for minor infractions, being an illegal alien allows ICE, customs agents and other federal law enforcement agents to treat illegal aliens in ways that they cannot treat American citizens in good standing. People who protest the arrest of someone who’s very origin in the country started with a crime demonstrate their lack of understanding of the Constitution and the rule of law.
The Constitution gives congress the power to make laws regulating immigration. Congress has done so, and the president and executive branch are enforcing those laws and regulations. If you don’t like them, your protests should be directed at congress, which has failed to act regardless of which party is in office. Even going back to English common law, a ruler has had the ability to expel aliens as he sees fit.
Going Soft
The current situation, one in which tens of millions of illegal aliens live in the United States, results from prior administrations allowing or even encouraging illegal immigration. I blame Biden, who suspended much of the enforcement action, invited illegals, and restrained ICE and Border Patrol, but he is not the first president to look the other way.
Around the world, we are seeing what happens when the United States decides it is more important to be liked than it is to be feared. The repercussions of presidents like Obama wanting to be seen as a gentleman and a nice guy rather than a firm leader are coming home to roost.
In earlier times, much of Trump’s behavior would not have liberals running to the court system to try to stop him. A good many of his actions would be seen as a sign of strength and leadership. I believe this is why so many people support the president, because they missed having a strong leader.
Our country’s lack of a strong leader has endangered us in many ways. Allowing foreign nationals unfettered access to the country is just one. Even if only one in 100 illegals are criminals, agents of enemy countries, or have no desire to assimilate or learn English, that is tens of thousands of criminals and enemy agents. I don’t blame Trump for wanting to kick them out; I just wish there was a better way to have more legal immigration. We clearly have a need for immigrants, even those that cannot afford to pay $5 million for a golden ticket, but we lack a way to identify those who will become upstanding citizens and consider themselves Americans rather than Mexicans, Guatemalans, or Somalians who just happen to live in the U.S.
Protests and Preppers
Although these protests have not yet risen to the level of the BLM riots, they are still something to avoid. We do not know if this will evolve into a summer-long protest movement. My guess is it will not be as bad, because it is as easy to see George Floyd as one of “us” as it is to see a child rapist who has been deported twice as one of “them.”
As I have written in the past, avoid areas where protests are centered, especially after dark. If you find yourself in a crowd of protesters, work your way to the outside and drop out when the opportunity presents itself. Then leave the area.
Speaking of leaving the area, if you dwell close enough to a scene of protests to hear the police and media helicopters overhead, this might be a good time to ask yourself if the reasons you live there suffice to keep you there. I have lived in a city where protesters smashed police station windows and blocked traffic on a highway. it may have been miles away, but it was still unsettling. I have no desire to go back.
