Saddling up the petard

If Schadenfreude is a sin then I’m probably condemned to Gahenna. Over my morning coffee, some of which I lost through my nose, was a Washington Post story on how illegal immigration is splitting solidly liberal counties like Montgomery.

The air was stuffy and hot inside a packed hall in Silver Spring during Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett’s town hall meeting last month when a lanky man in the back row raised his hand.

What, he asked, is Leggett doing to curb the influx of illegal immigrants to the county?

“Immigration is a local issue,” said the man, who gave his name only as Ryan. “Local government needs to respond.”

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Some people jeered and others applauded as the man elaborated. Uncharacteristically, Leggett lost his cool.

“Shut up and listen for a moment!” he cried, silencing the crowd. “We are not in the business of enforcing immigration issues.”

This style of rank gutlessness is actually pretty common in liberal strongholds. They are willing to make strong statements on issues which aren’t their business, like declaring themselves nuclear free zones and voting for impeachment, but when they actually have to do something that might be unpopular with a favored group they balk.

To be clear, to be in favor of enforcing our immigration laws does not make one racist and it does not make a community less “welcoming” to immigrants. It merely means that the laws of the United States are being enforced. Not a difficult concept to grasp.

Clear majorities of voters, across the political spectrum, favor enforcement of our immigration laws. If Maryland’s GOP has the courage to take on the issue, they have a winner. I’m not holding my breath.