OPINION:
On the heels of a tragic and fatal ICE shooting of American citizen Alex Pretti, Democrats have doubled down on their rhetoric for federal agents to leave Minneapolis, for ICE to be defunded and for President Trump to stop sending ICE into any other cities.
But this is not the path toward peace.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are on the ground in mostly Democrat-controlled communities in the first place because the Democrats in control have allowed illegals, for years, to run roughshod in their communities. In Minneapolis in particular, migrants of predominantly Somalian descent have run so roughshod that they have cost the American taxpayer somewhere between $1 billion and $9 billion — and counting — due to abuse of social services.
Money mismanagement isn’t the only issue.
The Department of Homeland Security has reported the arrest of terrorist-organization-tied truck drivers; murderers; drug traffickers; child sex abusers; thieves, racketeers, kidnappers — and more.
Why wouldn’t Democrats want these vile elements removed from their communities?
Here’s a possible reason: “In Somali fraud scandal, Republicans probe evidence of a blue state election scheme,” Just the News wrote. More illegals, more potential Democrat voters.
Here’s another: Democrats are so bent on getting rid of Trump, or at the least distracting Trump from performing his campaign-promised duties — i.e., upholding law and order — they push narratives that fuel their ignorant base to resist, resist, resist.
“What’s the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan? What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state? If fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, then you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in the aftermath of the fatal Pretti shooting. “We are tired, but we’re resolved. We’re peaceful, but we’ll never forget. We’re angry, but we won’t give up hope. And above all else, we are clearly unified.”
Those are fighting words — not the words of a politician trying to calm the storm. And these are fighting words that are on the side of chaos, not calm. If Walz wanted to “get these federal agents out of” the state, all Walz needs to do is call for local law enforcement to work with ICE to remove the illegal and criminal elements that shouldn’t be in the state anyway; that are the reason for ICE’s presence in the state.
It’s not just Walz.
“Arizona Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes said during an interview that residents could fire upon ICE agents who are masked if they feel they are in danger due to the state’s laws on self-defense,” ABC7 wrote.
What?
Her words: “It’s kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks. And we have a stand your ground law that says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and you’re in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force.”
Context is key.
And the contextual implied meaning of her words is to convey the idea that shooting an ICE agent is justified if personal fear was the motivating factor to shoot.
Come on, Democrats.
To feign innocence and purport the messages coming from the Democrat camp, broadcast as they are to the thugs in the streets, aren’t aimed at inciting violence, or at the very least, giving approval for violence and promising to turn blind eyes to the violence, is not just deceptive. It’s outright dangerous.
ICE has a job to do, and it’s all aimed at securing the nation by removing illegals.
Local and state law enforcement are supposed to be concerned about the same — about securing the nation by securing the communities.
Democrats are the ones standing in the way of law enforcement at local, state and federal levels and impeding their ability to accomplish their missions. Democrats are the ones insisting that the protesters have a right to stand in the way of law enforcement from accomplishing their missions. No wonder people are getting hurt.
Democrats are setting the stage for the injuries and deaths.
If the Dems want peace, they have to speak of peace and support those who are trying to bring about peace. And letting in lawbreakers while simultaneously keeping out those who want to instill law and order is not the language of peace.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “God-Given Or Bust: Defeating Marxism and Saving America With Biblical Truths,” is available by clicking HERE.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.