It is one thing to go after immigrants here in the United States illegally who have broken more than the immigration laws of this country, who have committed violent crimes and endangered the public at large.
For certain, any undocumented person who commits crimes has no business being in this country and should be deported.
But it is evident that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, under the direction of President Trump, cares not about whether immigrants broke or abided by the laws of our country.
Instead, ICE is going after law-abiding immigrants who are showing up for regular proceedings at immigration courts such as the one at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan.
They’re taking people into custody who are trying to follow the law so they can remain part of our society. How is that the best use of ICE and making sure that those who are a threat to our society are the focus?
ICE agents are also going after children, including Dylan Lopez Contreras, a Bronx high schooler taken into custody while attending an immigration hearing — which New York City is now challenging in court. Last week, news broke that a junior at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens was also apprehended by ICE at an immigration hearing, prompting further fear among local residents.
Maybe the fear is the point for ICE through its indiscriminate operations. But that fear is quickly evolving into anger.
Saturday’s demonstration at Federal Plaza saw nearly 20 people arrested following clashes with police. On the West Coast, the country saw heavily-armed ICE agents and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office officers fire tear gas at and clash with dozens of protesters attempting to impede ICE operations at a Home Depot.
Trump then ordered the deployment of the National Guard to a situation that the Los Angeles Police Department says is under control and requires no such assistance.
The situation is turning into a powder keg of both ICE’s and Trump’s making. They are the ones who have escalated the tension by targeting immigrants with no serious criminal records to their names and high school students showing up at immigration hearings.
And they are the ones who can choose to end this provocation and focus instead on targeting those who deserve deportation: Undocumented individuals convicted of committing crimes and putting Americans in danger.
If ICE and Trump continue to play with fire, it is up to Congress and the courts to step up, fulfill their constitutional duties, and force them to stand down.
