Dem
47
GOP
53
Again, we really don't like to use that kind of loaded language when we write this site. But when the shoe fits, what choice do we have?
The first news on this front, which broke yesterday, involves 54-year-old immigrant Ramon Morales Reyes, who is undocumented. This week, a DHS official received an envelope, which included Reyes' return address on it. Inside was this note:
When we first read it, it felt like those situations where someone tries to mimic a child's writing or drawing style; it was created by someone working mightily to make it LOOK and SEEM authentic. But it is improbable, for example, that a would-be assassin would not only warn the government of his plans, but would conveniently include his home address. What is this, a James Bond movie?
Despite these red flags, Noem ran with it. In fact, not only did she run with it, she said the letter was received shortly after James Comey posted his seashell picture, and so was clearly inspired by him. As far as leaps of logic go, that one is just... nuts. The FBI has since confirmed that there is no way Reyes wrote the letter, and that it was almost certainly the work of a different person who is facing a criminal trial, one where Reyes is a witness for the prosecution. Needless to say, if Reyes is deported, he will not be in a great position to testify.
When Noem went forward with this, she either knew she was telling a 100% lie, or she took aggressive steps to put her fingers in her ears and her head in the sand so she could claim that she didn't know. In the latter case, it would be gross negligence and, either way, Reyes certainly has the basis for a defamation lawsuit. Remember, as we've noted recently, government employees DO NOT have immunity from civil suits related to their actions. Her behavior is also vile, and creating bugaboos out of lies and misrepresentations is absolutely Fascism 101.
The other news on the immigration front (beyond the student visas; see above), is this: Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller, themselves the child and grandchild of immigrants, respectively, are endeavoring to create a new "Department of Remigration." Not familiar with that word? We'll just share the first sentence of the Wikipedia article on Remigration:
Remigration is a far-right European concept of ethnic cleansing via the mass deportation or promoted voluntary return of non-white immigrants and their descendants, usually including those born in Europe, to their place of racial ancestry, often with no regard for their citizenship or legal status.
In this case, readers don't even need our opinion that this is fascist, because Rubio and Miller got the idea from literal fascists in Germany and Austria. Perhaps they are unaware that, among the targets of various remigration movements, have been Latinos and Jews. In fact, Jews were the FIRST target.
We thought we had to pass these stories along, but beyond that, we don't know what to say, other than: These are such terrible, terrible people. (Z)