It is important to make one thing clear to the protesters attacking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: ICE is not the enemy, dangerous Mexican drug cartels and the anti-American forces aiding them are.
Last Friday, anti-ICE protestors stormed a facility in Colorado, disrespected our men and women of law enforcement, lowered the American flag, and raised the Mexican flag in an offensive display that left me speechless. I happened to be in Colorado last weekend not far from the facility, so I did what anyone who seeks the truth would do. I went to tour the facility with my own eyes.
Just visited the @ICEgov facility run by GEO in Aurora, CO, where last night people who disrespect the USA stormed the facility & took down Old Glory and put up a flag from Mexico. Well – she flies again today. #EndBorderCrisisNow #OldGloryFlies (1/x) pic.twitter.com/5EoiWTENNp
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) July 13, 2019
Upon arrival Saturday, I received a full tour of the facility.
I saw what any American would, which is a law enforcement entity doing its job. I saw a clean facility, equipped with medical supplies, food (three meals per day provided), and even ping pong tables and television sets for entertainment. IPads were available so illegally present foreign citizens could catch up on news from their home countries.
The facilities were clean, gymnasium, television, iPads with access to news from home countries, 3 square meals (I saw them being dished), doctor, nurses, dentist, ping pong… all taxpayer funded. #StateOfTheBorder (4/x)
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) July 13, 2019
It became clear during my visit that ICE is not the enemy. The Colorado protestors, however, are not the only people making those law enforcers out to be evil. Democratic members of Congress have made maligning ICE and Border Patrol a full-time job.
Only a few weeks ago, in an act of complete insincerity, a dozen of my colleagues across the aisle visited a Border Patrol facility in Clint, Texas. They lied about children drinking from toilets. They lied about the state of the facility. They lied about the officers.
These lies tell you all you need to know about my Democratic colleagues’ actual compassion for children at the border, concern for the safety and sovereignty of our country, and regard for the American people. They are playing this anti-ICE game for cynical and political purposes, and I’m tired of it.
As a former federal prosecutor, I stand with law enforcement. I don’t know what my Democratic colleagues want to say, but I stand for the rule of law.
I am not going to watch the American flag being trashed by folks who hate the United States of America. I am not going to watch protestors who have never been to the border a day in their lives disparage the men and women of American law enforcement who are doing the best they can to house and process an extraordinary volume of foreign citizens illegally crossing our southern border. There is no excuse for spewing hatred at these law enforcement personnel, including those contracted.
We have an expression in Texas to anyone who would want to take down the American flag: “Come and Take It.” It was heartwarming to see all the proud Americans who stopped by all weekend and dropped off flags to the facility. When I left, the Stars and Stripes were flying once again.
And a big thank you to the numerous patriotic Americans who came to the facility today to bring an American flag as a gift – and those who are standing watch. #GodBlessAmerica (6/6)
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) July 13, 2019
These protestors are misguided in their approach. What they fail to realize while they are maligning law enforcement is that the true targets of their ire should be the drug cartels who are abusing our asylum laws, trafficking human beings and drugs for profit.
If my Democratic colleagues want to solve the problem, Republicans are here and willing to work with them. Open border policies, which will empower these cartels, will be non-starters. Furthermore, the American people will not accept those approaches.
If we want to ensure the state of our border is strong and America, not cartels, is in control, we need to begin with three things: fixing our broken asylum laws, ending judicially created “catch and release,” and labeling these drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Cartels, not ICE, are abusing little girls on their journeys across international borders. Cartels are holding men, women, and children as indentured servants in stash houses in Texas. Cartels are keeping immigrants in abhorrent conditions. Cartels are the enemy. Not the Americans serving in ICE.
