It’s not ICE that should be put on a leash

Andrew L. Urban

Only the befuddled, gullible and uninformed will take it seriously, while the clear eyed and active minded will recognise the falsity of the narrative that produced this headline on an editorial in The Australian: Trump must put a leash on ICE to halt ‘moral and political debacle’. That is blame misplaced.

 I think perhaps the leash should be applied to the political leaders in Minnesota who encourage the agitators attacking ICE. Perhaps the leash may also be extended to the financial supporters of the protesting network who seek the chaos to destabilise American society.

The sentiment behind the headline is the result of fervently cultivated narratives propagated by the mainstream media (led by US media) which portrays ICE as the aggressors, while the prime aggressors are the violent lawbreaking protesters – whose legal orders are refused. And whose safety is compromised by the absence of protection from local police – as a matter of local policy.

But here’s the most relevant issue: it is only in sanctuary city Minneapolis, in sanctuary state Minnesota, that things have got so confrontational; Democrat Governor Tim Walz and Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey have been whipping up the anti-ICE fury, talking about ‘atrocities’ and Gestapo-like ICE and masked men in unmarked cars scouring the streets to take innocent Americans to foreign torture dungeons. Frey told ICE to “get the fuck out of Minnesota”. Seriously; that’s what they’ve been saying. Walz urged citizens to go out and  confront ICE, photograph them for future ‘atrocity’ trials…

The success of that narrative is demonstrated in the headline quoted above. And that’s in Australia’s centre right broadsheet! (For whom I’ve been a contributor for decades…)

This conflict has managed to divert attention from the multi-billion dollar fraud that has been uncovered in Minnesota, largely benefiting the Somali community, pointing the finger at the incompetence and silent complicity of the political leadership.