Last week (July 10), ICE agents raided a couple of marijuana farms (that's right) in Camarillo, California, where over 350 illegal migrants were arrested, and at least 14 migrant children were discovered on the farms. As is normally the case in California, the anti-ICE/Antifa types immediately showed up and attacked the agents. They called it a "peaceful protest".
Campus Reform has the report here.
Also arrested was a California State University-Channel Islands professor named Jonathan Caravello, who was charged with picking up a police tear gas cannister and throwing it back at officers.
That has led to a storm of protests from the California Faculty Association, whoever they are. They maintain that Caravello has been "kidnapped". They have even held a candlelight vigil for all those arrested.
The school that employs this character has issued a statement that it is their understanding that Caravello was engaged in a peaceful protest.
Being in California, I can state that some of the local news reports only state that ICE raided agricultural sites or farms, while omitting that they were marijuana grow sites. California may turn a blind eye to these grow sites, but federal law considers them illegal, just as it considers marijuana to be illegal. If the feds choose to shut them down, that is their right. (It is true that in recent years, federal law enforcement has decided not to confront California on this issue, no doubt due to political influence in Washington.)
I want to point out that being an agricultural state, the overwhelming majority-with few exceptions, of those who pick our fruits and vegetables are Mexican citizens, many of them obviously illegal.( I do not know the percentage.) As I have said before, I would prefer to see ICE focusing on the criminal gangs, like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, convicted criminals, those who have been ordered deported, and suspected terrorists, rather than people from Mexico who are simply working. It is not just a humane consideration, but a practical one as well. Whether the number of people in the country illegally is 10 million or 20 million, ICE cannot round up and deport all of them. They must focus on the truly criminal ones. Therefore, I would not put farm workers high on the priority list.
But in this case, we are talking about a cannabis growing farm. Thus, I would give them no such break. In addition, if any farm is employing immigrant child labor, that is something we cannot ignore.
It also goes without saying that attacks on ICE agents performing their constitutional duties is intolerable and must be met with prosecution. And there is no exemption for those who may be professors in our universities.
2 comments:
When ICE conducts a raid to arrest criminal illegal aliens, they cannot be left to decide which of those undocumented aliens rounded up with the criminal to detain or not. Some of them were likely harboring the criminal; others may have been aiding and betting the criminal's activities. They must all be arrested and let a judge decide. To do otherwise risks accusations of favoritism, if not corruption. And those detained who are undocumented gotta go.
I don't disagree with your point. Tom Homan has made that clear: If they arrest a criminal alien target, and he/she is in the company of other illegals, they are not going to turn a blind eye. So if you are in the country illegally and only trying to work and support your family, my advice is be very careful who you associate with. That said, my point is that given the situation we face, focus on the truly criminal aliens.
Another point comes to mind. Knowing how government likes to focus on numbers and stats (i.e. arrests), I hope that they don't let themselves be governed by that mentality. If they do, they will start going after the easy pickings in the fields, the car washes, and the places where workers gather to find day jobs. That would be a mistake in my view.
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