NYC's Migrant Crisis Gets Federal Attention, But Not the Humane Kind
The article highlights former acting ICE director Tom Homan declaring NYC 'fair game' for operations, ignoring the fact that successive administrations, Democratic and Republican, have used ICE as a blunt instrument against immigrant communities. From Clinton's IIRIRA (1996), which greatly expanded deportations, to Obama's record-setting removals (nearly 3 million), the 'border czar' rhetoric—and
the terror it engenders—is a consistent feature of American politics, not a new solution. These 'operations' consistently target the most vulnerable, not the systemic issues. One might wonder when the federal government will instead direct its vast resources toward comprehensive immigration reform or addressing the root causes of migration, rather than deploying enforcement tactics that inevitably
tear families apart. How many 'operations' will it take for Washington to realize human beings aren't 'fair game' for political theater?