Virginia Gov Spanberger first Exec Order: Stop cooperating with ICE

There were 3 murders in Minneapolis all year and 2 of them were done by ICE. The idea that ICE is making communities safer is so hilariously stupid

 

I honestly prefer criminal murders that you can punish or deter with law enforcement to officially sanctioned murders by law enforcement that are neither punished nor deterred. I'll take 100 murders by illegal immigrants over one state-sanctioned murder by an ICE agent.

I don't actually know that. Houston is one of the most active cities for deportations and there is no organized protest. We hear no news about how things are going. That doesn't mean immigrants aren't seeing their rights violated, beaten, mistreated, or even killed. We just don't know about it. Am I supposed to trust ICE will tell us about it when it happens?

What is the timing of your poll? In normal times, I'd agree about prisons coordinating with immigration. This is no longer normal. The federal agencies engaged in this deportation effort will not submit to oversight. They are a lawless band of thugs. Not even their janitorial staff should be coordinating with them right now. People should be protesting. None of them should be murdered for it, but that's a choice the federal government is making.

 

What Trump is asking for isn't really cooperation. Cooperation should be agreed to among parties for their mutual benefit. Trump really hasn't offered enough to make it worthwhile for state and local leaders and instead of compromising on demands it increasing incentives, he tries to punish them into submission.

The states are not subordinate to the federal government and they have a responsibility to seek out their own interests. Immigration is a federal issue,vfwds make the rules,band it's their job to enforce the rules. For a state to help them, it costs them money, man-hours, and organizational complexity. And it complicates their relationship to the residents they serve. So what if they don't think helping is worth the cost?

If Trump was genuinely interested in cooperation, he could negotiate with the states -- we would like your help in these ways, we will set these boundaries so we don't undermine public safety, we will provide this much funding to defray local costs, we will include you on operational decision-making, etc. you know, treat your partner like a partner.

You can easily retort that the democratic states aren't willing to negotiate. I think it's true on both sides. So there is no partnership and don't expect any subservience either. Feds have to go it alone if their relationship with the state is so poor they won't even negotiate. Either that or moderate so they don't hate you so much.

The thing I like about Virginia's move is that it's the classic opening gambit for every Trump negotiation: first take away something your counterparty values and make them negotiate to get it back. Now they've taken away cooperation. Trump can either try to raise the cost of not making a deal (like he always does) or negotiate a compromise where he gives something to get something.