When 20 ICE agents, each carrying machine guns, stormed into Buona Forchetta while families enjoyed their meals, you would have thought federal agents arrived to arrest a drug kingpin, or some other dangerous criminal. They threw the restaurant owner against the wall, handcuffed every employee, and used flash-bang grenades to disperse concerned, protesting community members. Then they took away four undocumented dishwashers and line cooks.
This isn’t about national security or keeping our neighborhoods safe. This is our own government targeting hardworking people who help keep small businesses like this one open. And wielding weapons and scaring residents is actually making our neighborhoods less safe.
President Trump ran on deporting violent, dangerous criminals. And yet, since the new administration took office, roughly half of the detained migrants have never been convicted of a crime — guilty only of seeking a better life. Instead of targeting real threats, this administration is carrying out a cruel agenda that will disrupt our economy, further erode trust in law enforcement, and sow chaos and fear.
We have to be honest about what Trump is doing. He’s beating up on the “other.” This Administration has abandoned Afghan refugees who served and fought side-by-side with our servicemembers for years and now face torture or death at the hands of the Taliban. He’s attacked our research institutions where the best and brightest minds from around the world develop breakthrough medical and scientific discoveries in America. And he’s even taken from American veterans the benefits they’ve earned; he cut resources for veterans’ medical care at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
At the beginning of the month, Trump took over California’s National Guard without permission from the state’s governor, which is required by law. Trump claimed that he deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles to “address the lawlessness.” While violent protest or harming law enforcement is always unacceptable, local law enforcement did not request additional assistance. LAPD was able to handle this. Sending in the national guard only further escalated the tensions caused by ICE raids and arrests of non-criminal immigrants.
Last week, California Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a public press event for asking a question on behalf of the people of California who he represents. I’m appalled by these increasingly aggressive and undemocratic incidents that one would expect in an authoritarian country. It’s un-American.
And we know it is not about law and order. Over 140 Capitol Police officers were physically attacked by insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Why has the President not stood up for them? Instead, he pardoned 1,500 members of the mob, including many who had been convicted in court of assaulting police officers.
A militarized effort to go after people who power our healthcare, construction, agriculture and other industries traumatizes our communities and betrays American values. It will also increase inflation and worsen our cost-of-living crisis.
Trump seemed to have finally recognized this, based on recent statements directing his staff to pause raids and arrests in the agriculture, hotel, and restaurant industries. He even admits that his “very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long-time workers away from them.” Now those directives have been reversed, however.
The Republican “Big Beautiful Bill” only enables more of this insanity. The Republican budget proposal would add $100 billion for more deportation operations like the wasteful and nonsensical raid in South Park. We wouldn’t send the San Diego Police Department armed with machine guns to arrest someone who hasn’t paid a parking ticket. We would all agree that’s an overreaction and a waste of resources. So it is when we send dozens of ICE agents in military tactical gear to terrorize our neighbors who work hard jobs to provide for their families.
I’m leading my colleagues to demand answers from the Department of Homeland Security for this particular incident. We need our law enforcement officers focused on legitimate public safety threats, not arresting people who are contributing to our economy and our community.
San Diego understands the border is an opportunity, not a threat, which is why it is an important part of our culture and identity. America has always turned to immigrants when we face labor shortages. Immigrants help fuel our economic prosperity and keep our communities moving forward. This country needs compassionate immigration reform that helps us meet our labor needs and keep the country safe.
We can agree that securing the border is important. Law and order are important. Trump’s actions, however, do not secure the border nor do they make us safer.
Rep. Scott Peters represents the 50th Congressional District, which stretches along the coast from Coronado to La Jolla and inland to Escondido and San Marcos.
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