Opinion - Democrats care only for illegal immigrants and criminals, not for you

It was the greatest affront to democracy the country had seen since the Civil War, we were told. The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 was worse than 9/11, Pearl Harbor, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and all the other terrorist attacks on the U.S. Capitol building by leftists — yes, there have been more of those than you remember.
After seven months of left-wing riots over George Floyd, and all of the attendant toxic political correctness and anti-police propaganda spawned in the 'woke era,' I can see why some people might have become confused about how bad riots are. But I do remember the day of the riot — I was pissed off about it. Idiots fighting with police should never be embraced or celebrated.
Even so, that event lasted only about three hours — significantly shorter than the fiery, billion-dollar damage and death-filled 'summer of love' that Democrats had lustily cheered and encouraged. The Capitol clean-up was done quickly. The Electoral College vote certification was only minimally delayed.
In contrast, many of the buildings and neighborhoods destroyed in the name of racial justice have still not recovered and likely never will.
That's why it is so hard for me to get worked up over the Capitol riot all these years later. No matter how many times they repeat the lie, no police officers were killed that day — the only person killed during the riot was a rioter, shot by a policeman as she and a group of fellow rioters were trying to break through a barricaded glass door in the Capitol building.
That brings us to New Jersey and the show that Democrats recently put on at an ICE detention facility in Newark. These glory-hounds know that their voters are angry and fearful, but still not excited to vote for them — hence their stunt of storming a federal facility and assaulting law enforcement on camera in order to champion illegal aliens.
It's an odd flex, favoring people with no right to be in the country over American citizens. But it is what motivates the progressive left these days.
In a cross between an insurrection and a prison break, three members of Congress and the Mayor of Newark got into a shoving match with guards as they tried to force their way into the facility. If normal people had tried to fight their way past guards into a prison like this, they likely would have been shot.
These politicians brought cameras with them because the whole thing was planned for public relations purposes. Naturally, the media slurped it up. Time magazine ran a piece entitled, 'A New Jersey ICE Facility. A Warning for the Country,' whose author declares, 'From my vantage point, as someone intimately familiar with its surroundings, Delaney Hall's existence stands in opposition to the values of the very community where it is located, and the dissonance is staggering. I know this because I grew up a couple of miles from the facility, near Wilson Avenue, a busy thoroughfare teeming with immigrant-owned bakeries and coffee shops.'
This holding facility for violent illegal aliens is 'in opposition to the values of the very community where it is located?' What does that even mean? Does the community enjoy being victimized by violent criminals? Does the community value violence against law abiding citizens and legal immigrants?
Of course not — no community likes being preyed on by people who have no business even being in the country. But Democrats don't care about that. They are playing to their base, using emotional arguments to make victims out of the predators. And if you ask me, that's just one of many reasons they have been losing the votes of so many Hispanic and other legal immigrant voters in places like New Jersey and South Texas.
In any case, the Time piece closes with, 'Our country's immigrant population deserves the opportunity to thrive, and our communities, whether populated by immigrants or citizens alike, deserve better.'
Note how there is no differentiation between legal and illegal alien, criminal and law-abiding immigrant. Democrats don't care. They want the head count, because they at least think (perhaps wrongly) that these are their future voters and will prop up their plummeting Electoral Vote count in states like New York and California. They are perfectly happy to let Americans and legal immigrants suffer in their march toward their goal. They simply do not care.
The Democrats don't take to the streets in the name of justice for Americans or legal immigrants who've been victimized by illegals. The teams of high-powered, high-priced lawyers doing 'volunteer' work (you know they're being paid by someone) on behalf of illegals is not matched by a similar team of powerful lawyers working for free for the victims. Democrats do not care. Democrats have their priorities, and you are not one of them.
Americans who simply want to live their lives free from fear and violence are not a priority for Democrats, who think their best hope is to create more Americans who will vote for them. If they have to get a little insurrection-y to achieve that goal — storming federal detention centers and shoving guards — then so be it. They can always count on their friends in the media to pretend their law-breaking and violence was either 'mostly peaceful' or 'in the cause of justice' — or something.
Derek Hunter is host of the Derek Hunter Podcast and a former staffer for the late Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.).
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Politico

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Centrist Dems sweat DSA NYC candidate

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Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.

Newsweek

an hour ago

• Newsweek

Gavin Newsom Challenges JD Vance: 'How About Saying It to My Face?'

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday challenged Vice President JD Vance to a debate after the vice president visited Los Angeles and accused him of "egging on" violent disorder in the city. In a post on his X, formerly Twitter, account, the governor wrote: "...Since you're so eager to talk about me, how about saying it to my face?" Newsweek contacted Vance for comment on Saturday via email to the White House press office outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have expanded their operations in Los Angeles and across the country as President Donald Trump seeks to deliver on his campaign promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in United States history. ICE conducted raids in Los Angeles and faced large protests in the city that largely remained peaceful with some instances of violence that prompted Trump to order the deployment of 4,000 members of California's National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines to assist in stopping violence, even as Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass insisted local law enforcement had the matter under control and a legal battle has pursued. The raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, but critics have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants by federal authorities as well as the tactics used by immigration agents during the raids. What To Know During his visit to Los Angeles on Friday to meet with troops, including Marines who have been deployed to protect federal buildings in the city, Vance said rioters had been "egged on" by Newsom and Bass, telling reporters: "The president has a very simple proposal to everybody in every city, every community, every town whether big or small. If you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we're not going to send in the national guard because it's unnecessary. He added: "But if you let violent rioters burn great American cities to the ground, then of course we're going to send in federal law enforcement to protect the people the president was elected to protect." Vance also referred to Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat who was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a press conference DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was holding in Los Angeles earlier this month, as "Jose Padilla." Noem has said Padilla did not identify himself when he arrived at the conference, but Padilla disputes the claim. Responding on X, Newsom wrote: "Hey @JDVance — nice of you to finally make it out to California. Since you're so eager to talk about me, how about saying it to my face? Let's debate. Time and place?" In a separate X post, the governor shared a clip of Vance calling Padilla "Jose Padilla," adding: "JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate. Calling him 'Jose Padilla' is not an accident." California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on March 26 in Los Angeles. Vice President JD Vance addresses the press following a tour of the multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center at the Wilshire Federal Building on June... California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on March 26 in Los Angeles. Vice President JD Vance addresses the press following a tour of the multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center at the Wilshire Federal Building on June 20 in Los Angeles. More Frazer Harrison/WireImage/Scott Olson/GETTY What People Are Saying Referring to the Padilla incident, a Vance spokesperson previously told Newsweek that: "He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said: "Mr. Vice President, how dare you disrespect our senator. You don't know his name," Bass questioned. "But yet you served with him before you were vice president and you continue to serve with him today, because the last time I checked, the vice president of the United States is the president of the U.S. Senate." She added: "You serve with him today and how dare you disrespect him and call him 'Jose.' But I guess he just looked like anybody to you. Well, he's not just anybody to us. He is our senator." President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social last week: "I campaigned on, and received a Historic Mandate for, the largest Mass Deportation Program in American History. Polling shows overwhelming Public Support for getting the Illegals out, and that is exactly what we will do. As Commander-in-Chief, I will always protect and defend the Heroes of ICE and Border Patrol, whose work has already resulted in the Most Secure Border in American History. Anyone who assaults or attacks an ICE or Border Agent will do hard time in jail. Those who are here illegally should either self deport using the CBP Home App or, ICE will find you and remove you. Saving America is not negotiable!" What Happens Next? Vance has yet to respond to Newsom's offer of a debate and it remains to be seen if he will do so. In December 2023, Newsom debated against Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis after the two went back-and-forth on their policies. Meanwhile, a U.S. appeals court on Thursday unanimously blocked a lower court ruling that put Newsom back in control of National Guard troops that Trump deployed to Los Angeles. The appeals court ruled that the president can keep control of the guardsmen while legal proceedings in the case continue.

The Hill

an hour ago

• The Hill

Padilla responds to Vance ‘Jose' remark: ‘He knows my name'

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Saturday criticized Vice President Vance for referring to him by the wrong name at a presser in Los Angeles the night before. The vice president called California's senior senator 'Jose' and alleged his forcible removal from last week's Department of Homeland Security press conference was due to a desire to create 'theater' amid unrest in the city sparked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. 'He knows my name. He knows my name,' Padilla said during a Saturday appearance on MSNBC. 'Look, sadly, it's just an indicator of how petty and unserious this administration is,' he continued. 'He's the vice president of the United States. You think he'd take the situation in Los Angeles more seriously. Several Democrats came to Padilla defense after Vance's Friday remarks. Many of them slammed the leader for misnaming Padilla, whom he served alongside in the senate prior to becoming vice president. Vance's spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on the matter. Padilla on Saturday, however, said he's not focused on the incident, but rather the safety of California's immigrant community. 'You know, you think maybe he'd take a moment to talk to some of the families who have been impacted, have been terrorized, to feel what's really going on on the ground,' Padilla told MSNBC, referring to residents who expressed fear following mass ICE raids across the state. In the days following raids and arrests, protests gathered to express outrage over the Trump administration's crack down on illegal immigration in Los Angeles. President Trump sent thousands of the state's National Guard soldiers and hundreds of Marines to respond to violent demonstrations. But California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said their presence is unwarranted and sued the president for unleashing the soldiers without first consulting him. A judge this week ruled in favor of Trump, affirming the president's ability to dispatch National Guard soldiers if he sees the need for boots on the ground. 'Many of the Marines themselves don't want to be there. That's not why they enlisted,' Padilla said Saturday. The lawmaker said instead of meeting with law enforcement in Los Angeles, Vance should instead aid the state's response to recent natural disasters and concerns from immigrant families. 'We've got a lot of important work to do,' Padilla added. 'But this is how the vice president chooses to act, and that says a lot.'