Two of the mainstays of our country's legal system are that we are a country of laws, and that no person is above the law.
As a country of laws, we cannot park our cars in the middle of the road or drive at 100 mph. We follow, or we should follow, the ten commandments that state our limits in society. Without these laws our country would be in chaos. The second characteristic is that no individual is above the law. This applies equally to billionaires and paupers, to all races and ethnicities, to young and old, to everyone.
One of the laws we have developed is our immigration law. The first restriction was signed by George Washington in 1790. It had the requirement that a person must, among other things, have been a resident for at least two years before he could become a United States citizen. Later he extended that to five years. At that time immigrants from northern and western Europe were given preferential consideration for citizenship. From there our immigration laws have evolved to where they are today. In 1924 the first comprehensive federal immigration law was introduced. It covered visas, border patrols, and the category of illegal aliens. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 became effective on April 1, 1997. Commenting on that legislation former President Bill Clinton said that it " strengthened the rule of law by cracking down on illegal immigration at the border, in the workplace, and in the criminal justice system." One of the requirements of our immigration law is that immigrants must enter the US at official entry stations, which is what I did as an immigrant 60 years ago in Washington state.
In order for a law to be effective it must be enforced. In sports the laws (rules) are enforced by referees and umpires. (Three strikes and you're out!) The local police enforce our traffic laws. In immigration the federal enforcing agency is I.C.E. (Immigration Customs Enforcement) which reports to the US Department of Homeland Security.
The previous administration allowed over 13 million illegal aliens to enter the country, including a large number of criminals. Sanctuary cities have been set up by several local democratic legislations to provide a safe haven for these illegals. Local authorities cannot investigate the status of those inhabitants. But they have no federal standing.
In Minneapolis today (as I write) the feds are attempting to uncover "the worst of the worst" in that sanctuary city. ICE agents are being persecuted in their role as law enforcers. What are their opponents doing? Are they petitioning for the laws to be changed? Are they drafting new legislation for their sympathetic politicians? No and no! Their solution is to riot.
They probably realize that they have little chance of changing the immigration laws when Trump had border security as a major thrust of his past election victory. Their only hope is their disgraceful riots. They have slashed the tires of ICE agents' cars. One video I saw showed a protestor spray painting the side of an ICE car with the words: "The only good agent is a dead agent." How inflammatory is that! The Minnesota governor and local mayor have also added to this terrible language The result is that Trump is considering sending federal troops to that city.
It is difficult to imagine, but those rioters prefer the criminals to peace and quiet. They will siphon off city funds to pay for the groceries etc. of the illegals. Their actions suggest they consider themselves above the law.
Peter Gilderson is a Northsider.
