In February 1991, Persian Gulf War hostilities ended. The U.S. focus shifted from combat to implementing peace and addressing the needs of the civilian community within Iraq. The stand down in military action, however, did not create a “warm and fuzzy” environment for U.S. forces. Tensions among those of us who were there persisted, as we knew there were still Muslim extremists at large who had no love for infidels and thus were “hiding in the bushes,” ready to pounce at any time. We could not allow ourselves to become distracted by what might be going on around us.
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As two of us walked through a section of an Iraqi city to assess resident needs, we did so cautiously with a hand on our holstered firearms. Our caution was warranted as, unfortunately, a few years later during the second Persian Gulf War, a fellow Marine caught by surprise by extremists was mercilessly executed on the street.
While the exact location escapes me, I can remember at some point in my Marine career being subjected to a reaction test at a training course of the type that either the FBI or police might use. Walking down a street with fake buildings, alley ways, etc. on both sides, one felt like a gunslinger of the Old West, unsure where exactly his opponent was hiding. Spring-action figures would suddenly swing out as the trainee proceeded down the street. With guns in hand, we had no more than a split second to fully assess the threat the figure facing us posed at that moment. We impulsively had to decide whether or not to shoot in a kill-or-be-killed environment.
While one spring-action figure might hold a gun aimed directly at us, another might reveal an innocent child or pregnant woman. Although no one could actually be harmed in this training situation, we would easily break out in a cold sweat under the pressure of knowing—in real life—our actions could just as easily take out an innocent life as it could a bad guy.
In reading about the fatal shooting recently by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Maine during a traffic stop in the coastal city of Biddeford, I could not help but reflect upon my above experiences. The pressure under which these armed professionals must constantly operate in making flash decisions is relentless. My experiences lasted but a few days; for these professionals, it is an every day experience.
The shooting in Maine of the car driver—a 25-year-old Colombian immigrant for whom it was incorrectly believed an outstanding arrest warrant existed—occurred as he attempted to escape by driving away. He opted to take a route which put several ICE agents directly in harm’s way if he were to effect a successful escape. One ICE agent clearly saw the threat posed and fired his weapon, killing the driver.
An investigation into the incident to determine whether the ICE agent’s action was defensible is ongoing. However, rather than allowing that investigation to run its course, anti-ICE critics have not hesitated to take to the air to criticize the shooting as if such a law enforcement reaction is never necessary. Among them was former Vice President Kamala Harris who wrote, “Joan Sebastian Guerrero should still be alive. This is the second time in a week that ICE agents have killed someone who—by their own admission—was not the subject of their operation.”
Ironically, the thought never crossed Harris’s mind whether, had she done her job as border czar, perhaps Guerrero would not have been in the U.S. and, therefore, still alive.
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Harris also criticized the fact that Guerrero’s three year-old daughter was in the car and had witnessed the shooting. She shared no concerns, however, about the daughter alternatively witnessing her father mow down several ICE agents.
Nor did Harris make any effort to take the opportunity of this tragedy to explain to people the immense pressure under which ICE agents operate and, therefore, the need to immediately comply with their commands.
The slightest attempt by one to not comply with ICE orders or, even worse, to try to escape, only endangers all involved. Every ICE agent has a right to feel edgy. Every stop gives rise to an element of the unknown. The best option for the person stopped by ICE to mitigate the unknown element, avoiding a hair-trigger ICE reaction, is by fully complying with ICE commands. Due to the dangerous nature of the ICE job, it is senseless and foolish for the person stopped—of whom really very little is being asked—not to comply. If innocent, compliance then allows the individual an opportunity to explain his case to the ICE agent.
Additionally, Harris could have used this incident to advise citizens seeking to protest ICE arrests not to interfere with them. A law seeking to impose this requirement upon protesters by making it illegal to approach federal officers performing their duties within 25 feet was submitted by Senator Ashley Moody (R-Kansas) last year. Looking to protect the public, it needs to be passed, although Democrats are fighting it.
Living in a very secure $8.15 million Malibu mansion (on what is “diversity’s least diverse beachfront”) and never having to experience the reality of operating in an active threat-prone environment, Harris has no appreciation for the unknown element ICE agents and police face on a daily basis. Never knowing what will happen on any given day, the possibility that any situation may turn violent weighs heavy on their minds.
Rather than accepting a responsibility to educate the public on the simple way in which members can prevent bad things from happening to them, Harris opted instead to blindly criticize those charged with upholding the law.
Once again we see a Democrat party leader demonstrating that politics have priority over common sense and the safety of the people.
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