On Tuesday, acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan was not going to let Democrats smear the hard-working and patriotic men and women who are enforcing immigration laws. During a hearing Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA) went on a tear saying how we love to paint immigrants as criminals and talk about MS-13. Yeah, maybe that’s because they’re a nationwide problem and they’re terrorizing neighborhoods. They’re animals. They need to be stopped, and part of that is by enforcing immigration laws.
"It makes me sick to my stomach to keep hearing over and over again, painting the broad stroke and the picture as though these are folks who are coming here to do harm," she added.
Again, this is fantasyland. Not every immigrant who comes here is good. There is a sizable portion of illegals that make up our federal prison population. This one-sided view of immigrants is what’s getting Democrats into trouble, but also something that the Trump administration ingeniously trapped the Left into doing: defending MS-13. The Democrats defend a vicious gang, saying they’re not animals; they’re still human beings. Yeah, gone are the days when Democrats could perfect a message that resonates. Second, they shut down the government over illegal aliens last January. They put their interests over those of Americans. The Left ran for the hills when polling showed that the needle was shifting, voters were starting to blame them.
Director Homan told Ms. Barragan that not he, or any ICE official at that table, was anti-immigrant; he was merely following the laws Congress passed (via Washington Examiner):
"First of all, no one on this panel is anti-immigrant. We're law enforcement officers enforcing the laws that you all enacted. So to sit there and say that we're anti-immigrant is wrong. We are enforcing laws," said Homan, acting ICE director. "If you think it's OK to enter this country illegally — you shouldn't be arrested, that's just wrong. The laws clearly state, 'You enter here illegally, it is a crime.'"
"And no one's up here saying all illegal aliens are criminals. A certain percentage of them certainly are criminals — they commit yet another offense after they're here," Homan added. "I have said many times that I certainly understand the plight of these people and I feel bad for some of these people, but I have a job to do. I have to enforce the law and uphold the oath I took to enact the laws enacted by you in Congress."
This isn’t the first time Democrats have picked fight on this issue. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen briefly sparred with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who likened fighting illegal immigration to a political philosophy. That’s wrong. It’s the law.
At the same time, Mr. Homan is retiring from his post at ICE, with rumors being that he did not have the best working relationship with Nielsen.
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