In the latest demonstration of political melodrama, we’ve got North Carolina’s Governor, Josh Stein, waxing poetic about the so-called abuses of ICE and CBP under Operation Charlotte’s Web. It sounds more like a college film thesis than a state opinion. Stein is painting a picture of “heavily armed agents” and unmarked cars swooping into neighborhoods like some kind of high-octane, late-night thriller. One might think they’re describing the latest blockbuster action movie, but alas, they are talking about Immigration and Customs Enforcement doing their jobs.

But let’s just clarify what ICE is supposedly doing under all this political hyperbole. ICE is out there, just like ordinary cops, enforcing the laws. They’re not running amok with their own version of “stop and frisk,” acting like some gestapo in the shadows. They’re following legal orders to keep communities safe. The narrative being pushed suggests that people of certain skin colors are targeted while picking out their Christmas ornaments. At this point, it’s merely an exaggeration snowballing into hysteria.

Speaking of hysteria, let’s shift gears to the vehicular attacks on ICE and CBP. We’re talking about people actually using cars like battering rams, channeling their inner action hero but missing the memo that they are not invincible. It’s like amateur stunt drivers gone rogue. These attacks have increased noticeably since last year, with data showing a 58% uptick against CBP alone, and a whopping 1300% leap in attacks against ICE. Instead of focusing on the danger ICE faces, critics are busy fabricating villainous tales, as if such statistics are mere footnotes in an imagination run wild.

In cities like Broadview, Illinois, protesters are leveling up their disruptiveness by introducing weapons into rallies. There’s more drama than a soap opera episode, with threats storming in left and right, prompting a state of emergency declaration. But is the chaos really ICE’s fault, or could it be the direct result of outsiders fueling friction? The mayor stating a civil emergency could have been proactive and taken reigns sooner rather than waiting for chaos to burst through the city gates.

Now, Judge Jamieson Boasberg seems ready to jump back in over ICE’s transfers of Venezuelans. Sure, it’s a juicy court tale, but what’s really at stake is law enforcement just trying to uphold their end of a bureaucratic bargain. Critics may want to sneer at ICE’s every move, yet unless they want to pen a legal tome of their own, it’s Congress writing these laws. It’s time they either grab a pen or let law enforcers continue their mission safely. It’s all too easy to look down from ivory towers without touching the nitty-gritty of reality.