As the government shutdown drags on, the debate about funding for the Department of Homeland Security heats up. Unsurprisingly, the usual suspects are at it again, opposing every reasonable measure on the table. Democrats are making several demands that have rendered negotiations at a standstill. Their requests for major reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seemingly prioritize protecting lawbreakers over law-abiding citizens. It’s hard not to wonder if they’ve mixed up their government role with a position at an organization that advocates for open borders.
Among their demands, Democrats insist that ICE agents should show identification and wear body cameras as if this is some revolutionary idea. News flash: body cameras are already standard issue. But wait, there’s more. They want to ban agents from wearing masks. Apparently, they haven’t heard that threats against ICE officers have skyrocketed, making masks a necessity in ensuring their safety. With over an 8,000% increase in threats against these officers, does anyone seriously believe removing their masks is a good idea? It’s almost as if they want these agents to walk around with targets on their backs.
There’s also a push to ban racial profiling and require judicial warrants to enter private property. Now, racial profiling is something everyone can agree has no place in law enforcement; however, the structure in place already addresses this. But ah, those pesky judicial warrants. They sound fair, don’t they? Just a little formality in the mountain of paperwork, right? Except they ignore that administrative warrants already provide due process. Requiring a judicial warrant would mean bureaucratic red tape so thick the agents would never manage to get one in time, making enforcing immigration law next to impossible. It’s almost like some have a soft spot for chaos.
Tom Emmer, House Majority Whip, points out the irony in all of this. Democrats harp on about protecting illegals and criminals, yet vilify the very agents tasked with protecting American lives. Their demands sound like they’re taken straight from a humorless sitcom: emphasizing ID for agents while simultaneously opposing voter ID laws. It seems like they’ve mixed up their priorities with reelection aspirations, forgetting their job is to serve the citizens who elected them.
Perhaps most alarmingly, ICE officers and even their families are facing intimidation tactics. When activists start doxing officers’ family members and even following their spouses around, it becomes crystal clear there’s a problem that extends beyond a policy disagreement. But never fear, the Democrats’ plan seems to involve even more obstacles for ICE agents trying to do their difficult jobs. If only they could channel some of their obstructionist energy into actual solutions. Cooler heads must prevail before Democrats’ misplaced priorities place American communities at risk.
