It’s all too easy to paint someone as a villain these days. Most of the time, a simple tweet – either self-inflicted or posted by a vengeful second party – could result in cancellation or, even worse, showing someone for what they aren’t. The results could be much more devastating than you might think – that’s the power of social media.
For months now, many users have been saying that ICE agents, working with President Donald Trump to remove violent illegal immigrants from the United States, are the next “Gestapo.” Snatching up people in the middle of the night and sending them to God knows where. Nothing could be further from the truth, but no matter how much evidence you show, these people are convinced. “They are the enemy!”
But the backlash from this can be devastating – and creates a ripple effect that can result in devastating consequences. Even death.
This week, the official U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency detailed a particular case in Savannah, Ga. ICE agents attempted to detain an illegal immigrant, only for them to try and make a run for it – and kill an innocent schoolteacher as a result.
Earlier this week, officers attempted to question Oscar Vasquez Lopez, who was in the country illegally. Attempting a traffic stop, they thought they had the situation under control. Alas, that isn’t the case, and Lopez made a run for it. After going through an illegal U-turn and running a red light, he struck a civilian vehicle. The driver of said vehicle had sustained fatal injuries as a result of this.
Fortunately, Vasquez Lopez was taken into custody. But the messaging from ICE being painted as enemy agents has now put fear into the hearts of many. Including, as you might expect, the guilty.
Tricia McLaughlin, the current Homeland Security Assistant Secretary, had this to say on the matter:
This vehicular homicide is an absolute tragedy and deadly consequence of politicians and the media constantly demonizing ICE officers and encouraging those here illegally to resist arrest – a felony. These dangerous tactics are putting people’s lives at risk. Fleeing from and resisting federal law enforcement is not only a crime, but extraordinarily dangerous and puts oneself, our officers, and innocent civilians at risk. Now, an innocent bystander has lost their life.
It’s this flawed way of thinking that has people believing they can stand up to ICE in dangerous scenarios. People like Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom lost their lives because they thought they were doing the right thing, but clearly weren’t.
It’s just insane what kind of logic is being fed into these people’s minds to believe that ICE agents are acting with devastating evil on their minds. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has set bad examples on more than one occasion, actually hosted a webinar that discussed how illegal aliens could avoid being arrested by agents. And then there’s California Governor Gavin Newsom, who went to the trouble of releasing guides talking about how ICE agents could be identified.
It’s horrible. Not only are many believing that these hard-working men and women are the enemy, but now you’ve got politicians who are feeding the machine, in the hopes of showing people that they aren’t the problem. It’s absolutely ridiculous – like playing “the blame game” where someone else loses catastrophically.
And the worst part is it’s not likely to stop anytime soon. Even though ICE is looking to wrap up operations in Minneapolis shortly, they’re going to continue their mission to visit other states – like Georgia – to detain highly wanted suspects. And not, mind you, innocent people “being ripped from their homes,” as many proclaim on their network of choice.
The bottom line is that ICE is already fighting the odds enough as it is, with dangerous people like Vasquez Lopez doing harm to others. But then you have people who are pushing this agenda, in the hopes of “sticking it to Trump,” as it were. But the truth is that they’re doing more harm than good. And all you have to do is look at the disappointment of this victim’s family to see that.
I wish these ICE agents well. The real ones still have your back.
Enjoying PJ Media?
Get exclusive content and support independent journalism with 60% off a PJ Media VIP membership. Use promo code FIGHT and join today.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member