The Outrage for Next Week: They’re Literally Gassing Children at the Border

 

Late on a Sunday night, we’re starting to see next week’s outrage story taking hold: There are children present in the migrant caravan and the U.S. Border Police are sending tear gas into it, and mothers and their children are being affected.

There is, as there always is, more to the story than simply “the United States is gassing children.” What else is happening at the border? Well, just this:

The United States is now in the tough position Israel has found itself in countless times: You cannot storm a sealed border; so how does a country stop a mob of people attempting to do so? Asking nicely doesn’t work, but when you use non-violent means like tear gas and rubber bullets (there are no reports of the latter being used), world condemnation comes rolling in. What options do countries have when trying to defend their own borders from those trying, violently and forcefully, to penetrate them?

Breitbart Texas editor (and my friend) Brandon Darby expressed what is likely a widely held belief among Americans,

Critics of the President and those in the media will frame this story as simply “Trump is gassing children” and in so doing, they will undercut their own trustworthiness further. These aren’t children randomly present at the border; they were put there by their parents, who joined a mob attempting to break into a country illegally. They are not “seeking asylum,” the above videos are not how one goes about doing so.

There is a conversation about how best to repel these kinds of mobs and one we perhaps should have had before this evening, given how much-advanced notice we had that a caravan would be arriving at our border. But to paint this as simply a war crime is plainly and profoundly dishonest, and unfortunately for those trying to set that narrative, most Americans will recognize that fact at first glance. And so, critics of the President remain one of his greatest assets, even as chaos unfolds on our border.

Published in Immigration
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  1. Hang On Member
    Hang On
    @HangOn

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):

    I am not the least bit sympathetic to the plight of the so-called migrants. They are an invading army and should be treated accordingly.

    So we should machine gun them, right?

    I mean if they’re an invading army, they should be repelled, right? You do that with force of arms. Right?

     

    Totally agree. We should.

    • #31
  2. Arizona Patriot Member
    Arizona Patriot
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    I need to point out that they have to enter our country “in this manner” because there’s no organized legal method for them to do so.

     

    This is nonsense.  Fred, you are not entitled to your own facts.  The US legally admitted over 1 million people, each and every year, from 2005 through 2016, with one exception (2013, when the number was about 990,000).  Here is the link to the Homeland Security report showing these figures.

    • #32
  3. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    OmegaPaladin (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    For what it’s worth, Megan McCartle says that the carteles have so much capital now, if hard drugs are legalized they will just go into other forms of organized crime.

    Mises.org is right about everything.

    Then why do we need you around? We can just get a robot to repost stuff from Mises.org, since they are always right about everything?

    Rufus, you remind me of a fundamentalist preacher, only they sometimes talk about things besides the Bible. Preaching the Gospel According to Mises every time you show up gets old quickly.

    Well, I had never heard that before and she’s damn smart. 

    I’ll stop with the jokes. 

    • #33
  4. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Kozak (View Comment):

    No border, no immigration controls, no country.

    Isn’t that the new Democrat Party platform?

    • #34
  5. Fritz Coolidge
    Fritz
    @Fritz

    Ontheleftcoast (View Comment):

    Kozak (View Comment):

    No border, no immigration controls, no country.

    Isn’t that the new Democrat Party platform?

    I believe the correct slogan is “No ICE, No Wall, No USA at All” repeatedly shouted preferably in the ear of a dining Trump adminstration official.

    And for what it’s worth, I am in complete support of using concertina wire, pepper spray, tear gas, and/or rubber bullets if need be to protect the sovereign right of this nation to its border and in restricting who may enter. These “caravan” stunts must not be allowed to succeed to any degree.

    • #35
  6. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    OmegaPaladin (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    For what it’s worth, Megan McCartle says that the carteles have so much capital now, if hard drugs are legalized they will just go into other forms of organized crime.

    Mises.org is right about everything.

    Then why do we need you around? We can just get a robot to repost stuff from Mises.org, since they are always right about everything?

    Rufus, you remind me of a fundamentalist preacher, only they sometimes talk about things besides the Bible. Preaching the Gospel According to Mises every time you show up gets old quickly.

    It gets annoying the way some people do it, but not Rufus. He has his feet planted firmly on planet Earth

     

    • #36
  7. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    Arizona Patriot (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    I need to point out that they have to enter our country “in this manner” because there’s no organized legal method for them to do so.

     

    This is nonsense. Fred, you are not entitled to your own facts. The US legally admitted over 1 million people, each and every year, from 2005 through 2016, with one exception (2013, when the number was about 990,000). Here is the link to the Homeland Security report showing these figures.

    My comment was about the people that from the incident over the weekend. You’re welcome to explain the process for them to legally enter the United States. 

    • #37
  8. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    Fritz (View Comment):

    Ontheleftcoast (View Comment):

    Kozak (View Comment):

    No border, no immigration controls, no country.

    Isn’t that the new Democrat Party platform?

    I believe the correct slogan is “No ICE, No Wall, No USA at All” repeatedly shouted preferably in the ear of a dining Trump adminstration official.

    And for what it’s worth, I am in complete support of using concertina wire, pepper spray, tear gas, and/or rubber bullets if need be to protect the sovereign right of this nation to its border and in restricting who may enter. These “caravan” stunts must not be allowed to succeed to any degree.

    I’m Ok with lethal force if above methods are insufficient 

    Fred Cole (View Comment):
    My comment was about the people that from the incident over the weekend. You’re welcome to explain the process for them to legally enter the United States. 

    How to apply for Asylum to US

    They can apply at any official border crossing.

    What part of that is unclear?

    • #38
  9. cdor Member
    cdor
    @cdor

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Eridemus (View Comment):
    We ought to offer them police support money or whatever it takes to disincentivize them from playing the role of becoming enablers, as there is really no “neutral” ground on this.

    Mexico said they could stay there, if they restricted themselves to the southern two provinces. I wish we could give them some capital, to make those people economically productive and get some education there.

    They really do live in hellholes, but what can anybody do about it?

    It’s a shame Rufus, but Mexico has plenty of very needy citizens already. So do we, for that matter. I vote we trade Fred X Cole’s citizenship for two of the children who represent, as a group, less then 10% of the people in the caravan. Any other U.S. citizen wanting to trade countries please get in line behind Fred. One doesn’t need to be an armed soldier to be an invader. 

    • #39
  10. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    Mexican law enforcement made about 500 arrests in the rush to storm the fence, and those arrested will be deported back to Honduras, or whatever country they came from.

    There is a legal process to enter the United States, and the Tucson Mall parking lot is a good example of this. On any given day you can find quite a few vehicles with Sonora, Mexico license plates in the parking areas. These families cross the border legally to shop in Tucson, and go back across the border, and return home to Mexico.

    The optics of crowd control are not very pretty, and we have homegrown morons in our own country that bring their children to demonstrations that become violent. It’s all fun and games until the violence, and law breaking begins, whether it’s at the border, or in any city inside the United States.

    • #40
  11. Michael Brehm Lincoln
    Michael Brehm
    @MichaelBrehm

    Robert E. Lee (View Comment):

    Annex central America.

     

    The Neutrality Act of 1794 was a mistake.

    • #41
  12. Robert E. Lee Member
    Robert E. Lee
    @RobertELee

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    For what it’s worth, Megan McCartle says that the carteles have so much capital now, if hard drugs are legalized they will just go into other forms of organized crime.

    Mises.org is right about everything.

    Like poltics?

    • #42
  13. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    The optics of crowd control are not very pretty, and we have homegrown morons in our own country that bring their children to demonstrations that become violent.

    There are those among the planners (some of those attending, too) of most of those demonstrations who want the unpretty optics and are willing to sacrifice children to get them. Usually not their own. 

    That was part of the MO in the demonstrations of the 1960s. A family member knew the Chief of Police in a city at the epicenter. They spoke frankly; I overheard some of the conversations.

    The Intifadas, the Palestinian “relief flotillas,” the Gaza “protests,” and now the “caravans” are ongoing developments.

    • #43
  14. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Robert E. Lee (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    For what it’s worth, Megan McCartle says that the carteles have so much capital now, if hard drugs are legalized they will just go into other forms of organized crime.

    Mises.org is right about everything.

    Like poltics?

    The cartels have already got the US divided up into territories. It’s a pity to see our own native criminal class displaced by furriners.

    • #44
  15. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    cdor (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Eridemus (View Comment):
    We ought to offer them police support money or whatever it takes to disincentivize them from playing the role of becoming enablers, as there is really no “neutral” ground on this.

    Mexico said they could stay there, if they restricted themselves to the southern two provinces. I wish we could give them some capital, to make those people economically productive and get some education there.

    They really do live in hellholes, but what can anybody do about it?

    It’s a shame Rufus, but Mexico has plenty of very needy citizens already. So do we, for that matter. I vote we trade Fred X Cole’s citizenship for two of the children who represent, as a group, less then 10% of the people in the caravan. Any other U.S. citizen wanting to trade countries please get in line behind Fred. One doesn’t need to be an armed soldier to be an invader.

    We can’t trade Fred. I’m not done teasing him yet.

    • #45
  16. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    The optics of crowd control are not very pretty, and we have homegrown morons in our own country that bring their children to demonstrations that become violent. It’s all fun and games until the violence, and law breaking begins, whether it’s at the border, or in any city inside the United States.

    Human shields! That was quick:

    Patrol Agent Scott: What I find unconscionable was that people would purposely take children into this situation. What we saw over and over yesterday was that people would purposely push women and children to the front and then begin basically rocking our agents.

     

    • #46
  17. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    When you let something illegal happen. You undermine the power of lawful deterrence. If we let this caravan in. There will be another caravan and another. I think the evidence is pretty good that illegals commit more crimes than regular citizens and that they take up government resources and their children tend to stay poor. Not deterring them has a big cost.

    To govern means to choose goes the saying. I wish we could have a more honest and mature conversation were we took the problems in the future as seriously as we take the unpleasantness of the present. 

    • #47
  18. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    @bethanymandel

    Is comparing non-violent but unpleasant mob control techniques to the Holocaust grossly offensive to both Holocaust survivors and basic sense?

    • #48
  19. Paul Erickson Inactive
    Paul Erickson
    @PaulErickson

    WI Con (View Comment):
    I’ll bite Fred.

    Oooh that hurts,  Remember to insert the comma.

    • #49
  20. ST Member
    ST
    @

    Fred Cole (View Comment):


    WI Con (View Comment)
    :
    I’ll bite Fred. ‘Machine gunning’ isn’t necessary. Well placed single round fired at rock-throwers and those sitting atop fence (rubber first, then actual rounds if behavior is not altered), coupled with mining border with dye or traceable chemical tags (if chemical tag is detected, asylum request was not properly applied for – request/hearing denied) and continued use of tear gas seems appropriate at this time with more lethal options to follow at our discretion.

    Are you sure that’s sufficient? This is an army, after all. As was said above:

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):
    They are an invading army and should be treated accordingly.

    If it was the Mexican Army attempting to “invade” the United States, I don’t think a single shot, nor some kind of dye mines would be sufficient.

    If this is indeed an invading army, and not a group of unarmed migrants with a sizable number of women and children, shouldn’t we treat them accordingly? Should we be using machine guns, napalm, or anything else in our arsenal to stop them?

    I mean, our President sent the military to the border for a reason, right?

    Fred, if you will put a permanent end to the welfare state you can open that border spigot as wide open as you’d like.  K?

    • #50
  21. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    cdor (View Comment):
    It’s a shame Rufus, but Mexico has plenty of very needy citizens already. So do we, for that matter. I vote we trade Fred X Cole’s citizenship for two of the children who represent, as a group, less then 10% of the people in the caravan. Any other U.S. citizen wanting to trade countries please get in line behind Fred. 

    No.  I like it here.  America is awesome and objectively better than Mexico.

    That’s why I don’t blame any of those people for passing through Mexico to come here.

    cdor (View Comment):
    One doesn’t need to be an armed soldier to be an invader. 

    Yeah.  But the phrase I took issue with was “invading army.”

     

    • #51
  22. Mike "Lash" LaRoche Inactive
    Mike "Lash" LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):
    It’s a shame Rufus, but Mexico has plenty of very needy citizens already. So do we, for that matter. I vote we trade Fred X Cole’s citizenship for two of the children who represent, as a group, less then 10% of the people in the caravan. Any other U.S. citizen wanting to trade countries please get in line behind Fred.

    No. I like it here. America is awesome and objectively better than Mexico.

    That’s why I don’t blame any of those people for passing through Mexico to come here.

    cdor (View Comment):
    One doesn’t need to be an armed soldier to be an invader.

    Yeah. But the phrase I took issue with was “invading army.”

    They are an invading army, comprised of objectively hostile actors. They have attacked American border security personnel with rocks, bottles, and other weapons.  Not only does our government have the right to defend our country against such barbarism and savagery, it has a moral obligation to do so.

    But then, you are on record – on this website – referring to American border security personnel as “thugs.“ That is a highly offensive and ignorant statement.

    The men and women who served in past years with such agencies as the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the U.S. Customs Service – which now operate as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – have put and continue to put their lives on the line for you daily, despite your contemptible ingratitude.

    My father was just such a man, spending nearly three decades serving with distinction in what was then called the U.S. Customs Service. Prior to that, he served in the United States Marine Corps.  Tell me Fred, was he a thug?

    Your response will say much about the kind of man you are, or aren’t.

    • #52
  23. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):
    It’s a shame Rufus, but Mexico has plenty of very needy citizens already. So do we, for that matter. I vote we trade Fred X Cole’s citizenship for two of the children who represent, as a group, less then 10% of the people in the caravan. Any other U.S. citizen wanting to trade countries please get in line behind Fred.

    No. I like it here. America is awesome and objectively better than Mexico.

    That’s why I don’t blame any of those people for passing through Mexico to come here.

    cdor (View Comment):
    One doesn’t need to be an armed soldier to be an invader.

    Yeah. But the phrase I took issue with was “invading army.”

     

    “The same survey also found that most Salvadorans not only knew someone already living in the U.S., but also wanted to move to the U.S. themselves. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) said they would move there if they could, including 28% who would move without authorization.

    Do we take them all?  We already have over 20 million illegals in the US.  

    Should we allow anyone in who can walk, swim crawl or fly in to the US?

    You going to put some of them up in your home?  Or do you expect the rest of us to pay at gunpoint ( you know the Libertarian thing and taxes) for your oh so kind heart?

    • #53
  24. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):
    It’s a shame Rufus, but Mexico has plenty of very needy citizens already. So do we, for that matter. I vote we trade Fred X Cole’s citizenship for two of the children who represent, as a group, less then 10% of the people in the caravan. Any other U.S. citizen wanting to trade countries please get in line behind Fred.

    No. I like it here. America is awesome and objectively better than Mexico.

    That’s why I don’t blame any of those people for passing through Mexico to come here.

    cdor (View Comment):
    One doesn’t need to be an armed soldier to be an invader.

    Yeah. But the phrase I took issue with was “invading army.”

    They are an invading army, comprised of objectively hostile actors. They have attacked American border security personnel with rocks, bottles, and other weapons. Not only does our government have the right to defend our country against such barbarism and savagery, it has a moral obligation to do so.

    But then, you are on record – on this website – referring to American border security personnel as “thugs.“ That is a highly offensive and ignorant statement.

    The men and women who served in past years with such agencies as the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the U.S. Customs Service – which now operate as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – have put and continue to put their lives on the line for you daily, despite your contemptible ingratitude.

    My father was just such a man, spending nearly three decades serving with distinction in what was then called the U.S. Customs Service. Prior to that, he served in the United States Marine Corps. Tell me Fred, was he a thug?

    Your response will say much about the kind of man you are, or aren’t.

    … and speaking as a thug (or at least someone with the face of one), I’m offended too, Fred.

    It isn’t easy being mean.

    • #54
  25. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):

    I am not the least bit sympathetic to the plight of the so-called migrants. They are an invading army and should be treated accordingly.

    So we should machine gun them, right?

    No, . . . you do it like this:

     

    • #55
  26. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    Am I supposed to know who that lady is?

    • #56
  27. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Yes. If you want to present yourself as aware of trends, movements, and conversations over the last year, you should instantly understand the reference.

    • #57
  28. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Kozak (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):
    It’s a shame Rufus, but Mexico has plenty of very needy citizens already. So do we, for that matter. I vote we trade Fred X Cole’s citizenship for two of the children who represent, as a group, less then 10% of the people in the caravan. Any other U.S. citizen wanting to trade countries please get in line behind Fred.

    No. I like it here. America is awesome and objectively better than Mexico.

    That’s why I don’t blame any of those people for passing through Mexico to come here.

    cdor (View Comment):
    One doesn’t need to be an armed soldier to be an invader.

    Yeah. But the phrase I took issue with was “invading army.”

     

    “The same survey also found that most Salvadorans not only knew someone already living in the U.S., but also wanted to move to the U.S. themselves. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) said they would move there if they could, including 28% who would move without authorization.

    Do we take them all? We already have over 20 million illegals in the US.

    Should we allow anyone in who can walk, swim crawl or fly in to the US?

    You going to put some of them up in your home? Or do you expect the rest of us to pay at gunpoint ( you know the Libertarian thing and taxes) for your oh so kind heart?

    Oh that’s easy!

    • #58
  29. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    Okay, so let me take this a piece at a time.

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):

    They are an invading army, comprised of objectively hostile actors. They have attacked American border security personnel with rocks, bottles, and other weapons. Not only does our government have the right to defend our country against such barbarism and savagery, it has a moral obligation to do so.

    Sure.  They are “objectively hostile actors.”  They must hate America or something.  That’s why they want to come here for a better life.  And yes, some of them may have thrown rocks, so we should totally use tear gas on women and children.  Only by being barbaric and savage can we defend against barbarism and savagery.

    But then, you are on record – on this website – referring to American border security personnel as “thugs.“ That is a highly offensive and ignorant statement.

    Sure.  I mean, I can’t really defend myself because I don’t recall the specific context.  But CBP has expanded rapidly in the last 15 years or so and operates without sufficient internal (or external for that matter) oversight.  The result is a culture of misbehavior, flagrant illegality, and thuggish behavior.  

    The men and women who served in past years with such agencies as the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the U.S. Customs Service – which now operate as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – have put and continue to put their lives on the line for you daily, despite your contemptible ingratitude.

    Yes, yes.  And I’m sure the honest folks at the DEA also put their lives on the line every day for me too, despite the fact that I have contemptible ingratitude for what they do too.  They are truly America’s heroes and I should rightly show my gratitude for their “service” while I’m taxed to pay for it.  

    My father was just such a man, spending nearly three decades serving with distinction in what was then called the U.S. Customs Service. Prior to that, he served in the United States Marine Corps. Tell me Fred, was he a thug?

    Your response will say much about the kind of man you are, or aren’t.

    Now we get to the heart of the matter.  You think I was calling your father a thug.  Was he?  I don’t know.  Did he engage in thuggish behavior?

    • #59
  30. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Fred, do you know the “First Rule of Holes”?

    • #60
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