GOP Outrage for Shooting Ignored in Their Own Legislation
📰 THE STORY: Bloomberg reports that a fatal shooting involving a Border Patrol agent during protests in Minneapolis has 'rattled the GOP,' with lawmakers calling for an investigation, highlighting the role of cell phone video in uncovering events. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: In 2011, under the Obama administration, the 287(g) program, which deputizes local law enforcement
to act as immigration agents, expanded dramatically, leading to increased Border Patrol presence and authority in cities far from the physical border. This program, often criticized for racial profiling and excessive force, was embraced and expanded by subsequent administrations, including Trump, despite a 2020 Government Accountability Office report detailing its failures and lack of oversight.
Double Standard: While a shooting by a Border Patrol agent in a 'blue city' garners calls for investigation, the systemic violence and human rights abuses at the actual U.S.-Mexico border, where Border Patrol agents operate with vast impunity, rarely receive the same level of mainstream outrage or sustained legislative scrutiny from the same GOP lawmakers now expressing concern. For example, in
2021, Customs and Border Protection reported 14 deaths and over 1,700 use-of-force incidents, many of which remain uninvestigated or result in no disciplinary action. Follow the Money: The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Border Patrol, received approximately $60.7 billion in budget authority for Fiscal Year 2024. A significant portion of this goes to border enforcement, with