Our government’s outrageous actions
It’s hard to keep up with the abhorrent actions of our federal government. The following is a sampling of Immigration and Customs and U.S. Border Patrol agents’ behavior over the last two weeks.
*A 67-year-old man training for the NYC marathon was pulled out of his car by two ICE agents as he tried to get home after a team training. ICE agents in full tactical gear held the man to the ground and handcuffed him. Six of his ribs were broken, causing internal bleeding. Bystanders filmed the incident, which has an online link.
*U.S. Border Patrol agents employed aggressive “crowd control” measures at a children’s Halloween parade in Chicago last weekend, releasing tear gas without prior warning. Residents were tackled and arrested, and one can be heard shouting, “You’re scaring our children to death.” [The head of border patrol has now been ordered to appear before a U.S. District Court judge daily because of numerous complaints and his disregard of previous orders. See “Judge orders daily meetings with Border Patrol official in Chicago.”
*Immigration agents have detained at least 170 U.S. citizens since January, usually while conducting broad sweeps allegedly looking for illegal immigrants. These citizens have been denied phone access while being held, and were often dragged and tased.
*A 24-year career Marine, Colonel Doug Krugman, has resigned. He wrote in the Washington Post that he could no longer serve President Trump, who “tests how far he can ignore” constitutional limits. He cited the administration’s use of “emergency powers” and the federal deployment of National Guard troops without state requests.
As I write this, I learn that Trump fired a bunch of ICE directors because they’re not being harsh enough. Border Patrol agents will be stepping in instead.