Mike, this is hard for me to read & hear. Thank you for not talking down or sugar coating unpleasant realities. I'm not thrilled with some of your word choices (e.g., craven) AND I know this topic generates heat all around. So I listen. I want to hear your voice.
Gallego was my choice the minute he started talking about the Senate. I supported him every way I could so of course I have to take his decisions seriously. I'll mention that our senior Senator Mark Kelly joined Ruben in this vote. I had hoped they might lead efforts for amendments to minimize some of the likely civil rights violations that will come from the Riley Act. As you (so painfully) point out, Democrats didn't have the clout to accomplish that. And that is NOT the fault of my 2 Senators.
I hope we are able to move in a positive direction from this. It's not going to be ALL positive. We agree on that. And the "how" will only be known in time. I continue to look for your insights. Gracias!
Thank you fo Mike for some real talk. We might not always agree, but that’s how democracy works. I’m a 1st gen Latina (pls miss me with that Latinx mierda, lol) left leaning Independent. The civil liberties and due process implications in the L-R bill terrify me. Even though it largely sucks, and I think it’s overbroad, I also understand that detention for violent offenders pending trial or deportation is probably a good idea. I’m hoping that when Dems are in power again the provisions in the Act that are ripe for abuse can be amended to narrow their scope.
Republicans exploited and abused this issue for political gain. Elected Democrats have exploited it for political gain in the opposite direction. They’ve refused to take any common sense action for fears of being called racist. They pandered to get latino votes and wound up losing them instead.
The national democratic party needs to finally stand up to the identity politics left and tell them no. How many times do we have to take their advice on so many critical issues, have it fail, and then try again?
Mike, I’m going to steal your quote - Border security is not racist.
It’s normal for nations to enforce border laws. And when we don’t enforce that, we wind up in a position where the people in power are clearly passing laws without much regard to the humanity of immigrants and their civil rights. Democrats refused to fix the border issues so the American people elected in people who will, no matter what. And none of us in the pro-sanity movement are going to like how they do it.
The Dems wrongly listened to progressive groups for years telling them demographics equal destiny. That’s one of the most flagrant case of political malpractice. The Laken Riley Act gives anti-immigrant groups to remove due process and a significant number of Dems have to go along to fight for their political survival.
I hear you Mike. But why pass a bill that violates due process protections that apply to illegal immigrants? Alex Padilla objected because the deportation applied to those accused of crimes rather than convicted. The perfect is the enemy of the good, but we're already on a slippery slope of erosion of the Constitution
My point is we’re past the issues you point out. That was decades ago. Now it’s purely political and Democrats can only be attacked for continuing to be open border.
It was bad politics to not deal with this seriously years ago. It would be far worse to continue to be viewed as not doing anything…again.
Karen Bass, Brandon Johnson, and Michelle Wu are the 2025 versions of the Three Stooges and are the face of Democrat calamity and political dysfunction. https://shorturl.at/L7r8c
The dilemma and divide between Latinos concerning immigration is almost 100 years old. For this history a must read is David Gutierrez's Walls and Mirrors.
It's a brave thing for Gallego and Cortez Masto to do, but there are going to be some pretty intolerable incidents and outcomes, and images. Particularly when "The Trump administration has reversed the 13-year restriction on immigration enforcement at schools and churches, opening the possibility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol agents could stage raids at the sites that were previously designated as 'sensitive locations.'”
I know this is outside your primary wheelhouse, but I'm more taken aback to see that Rev. Warnock voted for it this bill. And Jon Ossoff.
Anyway, we are so fortunate, as always, that you explain so clearly the context and dynamics of a situation that has been so obscured by the fog of partisan war.
Mike, this is hard for me to read & hear. Thank you for not talking down or sugar coating unpleasant realities. I'm not thrilled with some of your word choices (e.g., craven) AND I know this topic generates heat all around. So I listen. I want to hear your voice.
Gallego was my choice the minute he started talking about the Senate. I supported him every way I could so of course I have to take his decisions seriously. I'll mention that our senior Senator Mark Kelly joined Ruben in this vote. I had hoped they might lead efforts for amendments to minimize some of the likely civil rights violations that will come from the Riley Act. As you (so painfully) point out, Democrats didn't have the clout to accomplish that. And that is NOT the fault of my 2 Senators.
I hope we are able to move in a positive direction from this. It's not going to be ALL positive. We agree on that. And the "how" will only be known in time. I continue to look for your insights. Gracias!
Thank you fo Mike for some real talk. We might not always agree, but that’s how democracy works. I’m a 1st gen Latina (pls miss me with that Latinx mierda, lol) left leaning Independent. The civil liberties and due process implications in the L-R bill terrify me. Even though it largely sucks, and I think it’s overbroad, I also understand that detention for violent offenders pending trial or deportation is probably a good idea. I’m hoping that when Dems are in power again the provisions in the Act that are ripe for abuse can be amended to narrow their scope.
You have a hopeful view my friend. May it be so!
Republicans exploited and abused this issue for political gain. Elected Democrats have exploited it for political gain in the opposite direction. They’ve refused to take any common sense action for fears of being called racist. They pandered to get latino votes and wound up losing them instead.
The national democratic party needs to finally stand up to the identity politics left and tell them no. How many times do we have to take their advice on so many critical issues, have it fail, and then try again?
Mike, I’m going to steal your quote - Border security is not racist.
It’s normal for nations to enforce border laws. And when we don’t enforce that, we wind up in a position where the people in power are clearly passing laws without much regard to the humanity of immigrants and their civil rights. Democrats refused to fix the border issues so the American people elected in people who will, no matter what. And none of us in the pro-sanity movement are going to like how they do it.
Wasn’t Obama’s 2013 Bill that passed the Senate a coherent border bill?
The Dems wrongly listened to progressive groups for years telling them demographics equal destiny. That’s one of the most flagrant case of political malpractice. The Laken Riley Act gives anti-immigrant groups to remove due process and a significant number of Dems have to go along to fight for their political survival.
I hear you Mike. But why pass a bill that violates due process protections that apply to illegal immigrants? Alex Padilla objected because the deportation applied to those accused of crimes rather than convicted. The perfect is the enemy of the good, but we're already on a slippery slope of erosion of the Constitution
My point is we’re past the issues you point out. That was decades ago. Now it’s purely political and Democrats can only be attacked for continuing to be open border.
It was bad politics to not deal with this seriously years ago. It would be far worse to continue to be viewed as not doing anything…again.
I would hope we're not past enacting any statutes that are unconstitutional. That can't be the politics of the past or we've lost our democracy
Karen Bass, Brandon Johnson, and Michelle Wu are the 2025 versions of the Three Stooges and are the face of Democrat calamity and political dysfunction. https://shorturl.at/L7r8c
The dilemma and divide between Latinos concerning immigration is almost 100 years old. For this history a must read is David Gutierrez's Walls and Mirrors.
https://www.ucpress.edu/books/walls-and-mirrors/paper
Dems have a big opportunity to rassle this issue back like Obama did. Don’t fiddle fart it away!!! Ugh
It's a brave thing for Gallego and Cortez Masto to do, but there are going to be some pretty intolerable incidents and outcomes, and images. Particularly when "The Trump administration has reversed the 13-year restriction on immigration enforcement at schools and churches, opening the possibility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol agents could stage raids at the sites that were previously designated as 'sensitive locations.'”
https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2025/01/school-systems-and-county-governments-brace-for-changes-in-the-trump-administrations-executive-orders/
I know this is outside your primary wheelhouse, but I'm more taken aback to see that Rev. Warnock voted for it this bill. And Jon Ossoff.
Anyway, we are so fortunate, as always, that you explain so clearly the context and dynamics of a situation that has been so obscured by the fog of partisan war.