A Dialogue Between Friends
A friend I respect highly and I chose to discuss the issues surrounding the arrival ICE agents into Minneapolis and their efforts to locate, arrest and deport illegal immigrants. The focus is supposed to be on known and wanted criminals, but certain elements of the liberal Twin Cities community march, protest and attempt to threaten and intimidate federal agents assigned to this task. My friend begins by stating:
Thank you for taking the time to send over your thoughts regarding these frightening events and this difficult time. I'll do my best to reciprocate with the same thoughtfulness, compassion, and sensitivity as you have done in your email. And I won't include any Gutfield videos or links to right wing YouTube videos, although I will include a few reels from the MRC and links to a couple YouTube news reports. I've also done extensive research on ChatGTP and Perplexity AI. And I am nothing but honored and proud to have a friend who cares as much as you do about your family, your community and your country. These are complex issues with no clear cut solutions, but I respect you too much to simply toss around some quick thoughts. And I've had 74 years to live through, think about, and consider these problems based upon personal experiences, educational background, extensive reading, study and research, as well as deep-seated lifelong spiritual perspectives. As I approach the end of my time on this planet, it becomes even more important than ever to me that I try and exert a constructive and positive common sense influence upon my family, friends and society, which is much of the reasoning behind my vanity website project, which I fully realize is viewed by very few and taken seriously by even fewer - and yet, I still believe it is a worthwhile effort, and my intentions are sincere. I spent a lot of time viewing all of the videos you suggested I take a look at and reading through the links you provided, so I could fully understand your perspective. I respect you enough to believe that you are willing and able to see different perspectives and consider opposing points of view - as am I! I think it is also necessary and helpful to look into the history of our country's problems with illegal immigration, and I present this information - not to prove anything - but to have a legitimate and accurate historical perspective. "We are a nation of immigrants," Clinton said. "But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it." Our immigration policy is focused in four areas: first, strengthening border control; second, protecting American jobs by enforcing laws against illegal immigrants at the workplace; third, deporting criminal and deportable aliens; fourth, giving assistance to States who need it and denying illegal aliens benefits for public services or welfare. Our plan will triple the number of criminal and other deportable aliens deported since 1993. We want to focus on the criminal population or on those who are charged with crimes but who are here illegally. Every day, illegal aliens show up in court who are charged. Some are guilty, and surely, some are innocent. Some go to jail, and some don't. But they're all illegal aliens, and whether they're innocent or guilty of the crime they're charged with in court, they're still here illegally and they should be sent out of the country. While Obama was president, he said: "We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country. Even as we are a nation of immigrants, we're also a nation of laws. Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws, and I believe that they must be held accountable - especially those who may be dangerous. That's why, over the past six years, deportations of criminals are up 80 percent. And that's why we're going to keep focusing enforcement resources on actual threats to our security. Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom who's working hard to provide for her kids. We'll prioritize, just like law enforcement does every day. But even as we focus on deporting criminals, the fact is, millions of immigrants in every state, of every race and nationality still live here illegally."
Speaking at a September 2007 debate at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Biden said he would not allow so-called sanctuary cities to ignore federal law. "Yes or no, would you allow those cities to ignore the federal law?" Biden was asked. "No," he responded. At another 2007 event, Biden called for sending employers of undocumented immigrants to prison. "We've got to get tougher with employers. In fact the person we should send to jail is not the illegals, we send to jail the employers," Biden said. "If you knowingly hire an illegal alien, then you should be held accountable." But even as we focus on deporting criminals, the fact is, millions of immigrants in every state, of every race and nationality still live here illegally." "I do believe that we need more resources at the border and that that includes a fence. What we have now, we have people waiting to come in legally, thousands of people waiting to come in legally to this country and we have people coming in illegally. That's not right. We need to get order at the border, but we also have to stop giving amnesty to companies that are hiring illegal immigrants under this administration, and the number of prosecutions of companies has gone way down. That has to change. Then finally, I believe that we need to give people who have been in this country for a number of years, who are willing to pay their taxes, who are willing to learn English, who are willing to pay the fines, the chance for earned citizenship. Nothing has happened for the last six years on this issue."
I don't know why seeing violent criminals detained would result in "twisted pleasure" by anyone. Law abiding citizens hoping for a safe community should certainly be pleased and relieved to see violent criminals arrested, taken off the streets of Minneapolis, and loaded into a van - there is nothing "twisted" about that. And I would strongly protest against and seek criminal prosecution of any ICE agent who treated a legal U.S. citizen who had fully cooperated with authorities in that manner. It honestly makes me sad when protestors - whom Walz and Frey assure us are all "mostly" peaceful - throw ice and rocks and spit at ICE agents, shoot fireworks at them, shout at them with bullhorns, curse at them and taunt them, hoping to provoke an incident they can use as propaganda in the mainstream and social media, as happened with Renee Good. They rally at hotels where they think agents might be staying, trying to break into the hotel and blowing whistles and honking horns all night long: Rioters hurl fireworks at ICE agents in Minneapolis Protesters STORM Minneapolis hotel where ICE agents believed to be staying
I am certain that handheld cellphone videos on Instagram made during protests, confrontations and arrests of any kind will always be quite frightening - I just don't know if they should be considered a fair or balanced representation of events. Watching Renee Good - a known member of "ICE Watch" - obstruct traffic with her car and hearing her wife taunt ICE agents while telling Renee to "Drive, baby, drive!" after she was told to stop the car and exit the vehicle by a lawful authority seemed like a foolish move. Mayor Frey then said: "He walked away with a hip injury that he might as well have gotten from closing a refrigerator door with his hips. I've seen worse injuries from doing that". I've closed the refrigerator that way a few times, but have never suffered from internal bleeding of the torso. Frey doesn't bother to explain how he came to that determination or reveal sources to back up his claim - nor does Kristi Noem provide hospital records to document DHS claims about the injured ICE officer! Is it simply fair to say that if someone is standing in front of your car - be it an ICE agent, a pedestrian, a child or a stray dog - you probably shouldn't hit them with your car? When is that okay?
I agree completely! That's why it's important to try and stop the fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas (up to 84,000 people killed), to stop the war in the Ukraine (more than 1.23 million deaths), to destroy nuclear missile sites in Iran and to speak out on behalf of protesters in that country where the UN estimates that more than 20,000 people have been killed, and do something about the 100,000 people murdered in Venezuela under the dictatorship Nicolas Maduro: "Across Maduro's 12+ plus years, that level of annual violence adds up to well over 100,000 violent deaths" - Perplexity AI Most of our allies do nothing - but it matters to President Trump and he's trying to do something about it.
And good people like yourself, myself and many others do care - but it's vitally important to not be fooled by virtue signaling provocative protesters and liberal media sources that only want eyeballs and clicks, which help them to sell advertising and generate revenue and inflate outrage, but avoid balance and fairness.
I discuss this later, in reference to the tactics required to enforce immigration laws when hampered by "sanctuary city" limitations. But remember what Clinton, Obama and Biden all agreed about: "But they're all illegal aliens, and whether they're innocent or guilty of the crime they're charged with in court, they're still here illegally and they should be sent out of the country." I don't agree with that, but their occupational status and contributions to the community are not relevant to the fact that they often still entered our country and remain here illegally. Meanwhile: Overall, USCIS has a record 11.3 million pending cases across all form types as of mid-2025 (work permits, family petitions, green cards, naturalization, etc.), illustrating how many are trying to migrate through legal channels. - Perplexity AI With a backlog of 11.3 million people attempting to enter the United States legally, why should the people who came across our borders illegally receive special opportunities, benefits, financial support and considerations?
These stats look fairly accurate. Keeping in mind that even non criminal illegal immigrants are still in the United States illegally under the laws passed by Congress and representatives from all 50 states, people who simply entered this country illegally should be treated with the same respect and courtesy as any legal citizen should be, in respect of all Constitutional boundaries. This becomes more difficult when protesters are confronting, provoking and taunting ICE agents, throwing fireworks, blocking streets with cars and bodies, and spitting in their faces. From many of the protests I have witnessed in all media, ICE agents are often shown demonstrating impressive restraint, relative to the abuse they are experiencing from "peaceful protesters". ICE Agents SURROUNDED by Furious Crowd After Stopping Man in Minneapolis Considering the times we do live in, were I a law-abiding illegal immigrant, I would carry any and all legal documents in my possession, and peacefully cooperate and comply with police or ICE agents at all times. It may not be legally required and ICE may not be authorized to demand them, but it seems like a smart precaution. I only marched in one protest against the Vietnam War back in the '70s, but in an era when protesting students were being shot and killed at Kent State, I wasn't about to get in the face of the police, spit at them, or toss fireworks in their direction. Don't be stupid, people!
The Liz Collins ride-along was obviously a best case scenario in an ideal world and it would be wonderful if every ICE apprehension was as professional and clean as this one. And I make no assumptions that all detainments are being handled in this manner. The Tom Holman video you presented is a good one and - as he points out (as does the Liz Collins video) - "sanctuary" cities refuse to cooperate with federal officials. ICE agents would prefer to NOT go out into the community to root out suspected, known and convicted criminals - if someone is arrested by local police, ICE should be notified and be allowed to come into the Minneapolis city jail, pick up the convicted criminal, and deport him or her. Instead: Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and other local agencies have released undocumented immigrants after arrests for crimes, citing the city's sanctuary ordinance. DHS claims Minnesota released nearly 470 criminal undocumented immigrants since President Trump's inauguration, including those with ICE detainers, forcing ICE to arrest them on the streets instead. - Perplexity AI That absolutely makes no sense! We ALL want a safe city, but when Minneapolis arrests someone and they are prosecuted and convicted, they should NOT be released into the public because of some vague "sanctuary city" designation (which has NO legal standing). That then requires ICE to go out into the community to locate the convicted criminal, and remove him. |
