Once again, Republicans are acting to enforce immigration laws — and Democrats are aghast.
asserted
Democrats → act → laws
How dare the Department of Homeland Security investigate the possibly shady way that Ilhan Omar became a US citizen?
uncertain
Omar → investigate → way
The probe should “outrage all Americans,” former President Barack Obama proclaimed, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “deeply disturbing.”
asserted
Jeffries → outrage → it
After all, a federal magistrate judge in the US District Court for the District of Columbia saw sufficient evidence to approve a search warrant for Omar’s home — President Donald Trump isn’t waving a magic wand and making the Minnesota Democrat disappear.
The New York Times editorial board rushed to Omar’s defense.
asserted
board → see → defense
“End the Ilhan Omar investigation,” it demanded.
asserted
it → end → investigation
“If her naturalization can be revisited, that means no naturalized citizen is safe.”
asserted
citizen → revisit → ?
Well, no: That means that no naturalized citizen who lied to get into the country is safe.
asserted
who → mean → country
I’m a naturalized citizen.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
I’m not worried.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
Most naturalized citizens don’t do that.
asserted
citizens → do → that
We shouldn’t have to pretend they do to protect Ilhan Omar.
asserted
they → have → Omar
So much of the Democratic rhetoric surrounding immigration is intended to skirt this vital distinction.
asserted
much → surround → distinction
Democrats like Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico promise voters they don’t want open borders, and take offense when it’s implied that they do.
asserted
they → promise → offense
But El-Sayed has called for abolishing the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency — that is, the people who enforce our immigration laws — and has said, “I believe we owe it to the world to open our doors.”
asserted
we → call → doors
Both candidates support pathways to citizenship for people who violated our laws to enter our country.
asserted
who → support → country
Strange: That’s not the case for other crimes.
asserted
That → ’ → crimes
We don’t let a thief hang on to the flat-screen TV because he got it all the way home.
asserted
he → let → it
It’s recently dawned on some Democrats that failing to enforce laws leads to more law-breaking.
asserted
failing → dawn → breaking
Bluest-of-the-blue cities like San Francisco are implementing far-out policies like actually arresting criminals and putting them in jail.
asserted
cities → implement → jail
As District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told The Post in April, “Those who break our laws and commit crimes are not only identified and arrested, but also prosecuted.”
asserted
who → tell → crimes
What if we tried that with immigration?
asserted
we → try → immigration
It’s an idea so crazy it just might work.
uncertain
it → ’ → ?
But Democrats insist on putting immigration law in its own separate category.
asserted
Democrats → insist → category
Check out how the Times described illegal immigrants in a story last week: “Someone [who] comes here and follows all the rules, except the ones about how to enter the country.”
asserted
who → check → country
“Except” is doing quite a lot of heavy lifting here.
asserted
Except → do → lifting
“He followed all the rules of obtaining a new TV, except for the paying-for-it part.”
The report itself is about a police officer who finds it depressing to enforce immigration law.
asserted
it → follow → law
We frequently hear the sad stories of people who broke immigration law and made it to the United States, but were then kicked out because of their illegal status.
asserted
who → hear → status
We never seem to hear the equally sad stories of people who patiently waited their turn to come here but never made it, because others had cut the line in front of them.
asserted
others → seem → them
They, too, had dreams and ambitions of making a better life for their families — their only mistake was abiding by the laws of the country they wished to join.
asserted
they → have → country
Or consider last weekend’s teary “60 Minutes” segment about Moussa Diawara, who ignored a final order of removal and was deported after living in the United States for 25 years.
asserted
who → consider → years
Diawara’s children and wife got plenty of screen time to tell us how much they miss him.
asserted
they → get → him
Unmentioned in their interviews, as DHS General Counsel James Percival later pointed out, is that Diawara entered the US by claiming that he feared for his life in Mali because he’s gay.
asserted
he → point → Mali
The wife and two children would seem to make that tale unlikely.
asserted
tale → seem → ?
For too long, we’ve been rewarding the line-cutters, the rule-breakers, the law-mockers.
asserted
we → reward → cutters
We have to stop it.
asserted
We → have → it
To survive, any country must have secure borders and immigration laws that aren’t scoffed at.
asserted
that → survive → borders
Ilhan Omar does a lot of scoffing.
asserted
Omar → do → scoffing
Questions have long swirled around Omar’s immigration process and citizenship status.
Numerous sources have charged she wed her own brother to help him get a green card — a persistent rumor she’s lamely sought to deflect (asked last week whether she was related to her ex, Omar responded, “Not that I know of”).
asserted
I → swirl → ex
There’s substantial evidence that she’s lying about her age — in a way that could cancel the citizenship she says she gained via her late father’s status — and the federal court filings indicate that “Omar” isn’t her true surname.
Omar’s naturalization shouldn’t protect her if she broke the law to win it — and the Trump administration is right to make sure it doesn’t.
Karol Markowicz is the host of the “Karol Markowicz Show” and “Normally” podcasts.
uncertain
Markowicz → ’ → Show
The Aporia
