Caffeinated Politics

There are times when I feel embarrassed to sit down and watch the news. That was the outcome this weekend when I saw the WGN TV report on a simple and much-anticipated Halloween parade for children in a Chicago neighborhood. You know the kind of excitement when kids dress up as ghosts and goblins and then look at the candy they have and trade this candy bar for that one with a friend and laugh the entire day long.

But this Halloween event was not scary due to kids jumping out of bushes and shouting BOO! Rather, the day was marred not only by overt threats from federal agents but actions that were simply out of bounds. These kids, their parents, and onlookers witnessed city streets become a stage for a grotesque display of federal overreach, racial profiling, and outright abuse. Not for the first time does the Chicago ICE commander Gregory Bovino make for news headlines that run counter to the American values and ideals we have always known.

Yes, watching the news report and the video footage was upsetting. There was something about the idea that this annual holiday, one that creates so much delight for kids, was ruined. As I watched the report and then sat through it a second time, I thought that this absurdity with ICE’s conduct is no longer just a policy failure from the Trump Administration. It is also a complete and unmitigated moral collapse that includes all of us who just sit and watch the madness unfold.

I was heartened to read that U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis has now ordered Bovino to appear before her daily, which is a rare, damning, and rightfully demeaning rebuke as a result of his failed leadership. If that were the result for any employee in your business or anyone else on the public dime, that alone would be enough to end one’s career. In this current government, however, the judge’s ruling will be seen as a resume enhancer for this type of person.

What ICE has done under Bovino’s watch is not immigration enforcement. It is a campaign of intimidation, disproportionately targeting Latino neighborhoods, and carried out with the kind of impunity that should terrify every American who believes in civil liberties. The agents’ behavior, such as throwing tear gas near children, refusing to wear a body camera, and detaining people without cause is far more than just being excessive or not being overly concerned by rules and regulations. So, let us call out what we see from Bovino and his ilk. It’s racist, it’s abusive, and it’s patently absurd.

The Halloween parade, a symbol of community and joy, was upended when residents of Little Village and Old Irving Park reported federal agents lurking near decorated homes, dressed not in costumes but in tactical gear. Judge Ellis had to explicitly warn Bovino not to further violate her order during Halloween festivities. That she even had to say it speaks volumes!!

Watching and reading Chicago news reports this weekend unscored for me what is happening. Too many who profess a devotion for law and order are nothing more than brutish goons masquerading as upholders of law. The federal government should not be allowed to terrorize neighborhoods under the guise of immigration enforcement.

The federal judge was correct to rein in Gregory Bovino, who must not be allowed to continue leading an operation that has so clearly lost its moral compass. Chicago deserves better. America deserves better. And the children who just wanted to trick-or-treat without fear deserve far better than this.