Democrats and Media Are Responsible for Deaths Linked to Immigration Enforcement
Source: Eddie Scarry. "Immigration Law Enforcement Is Deadly Because Of Dems, Media." September 15, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that when people die or get hurt because of aggressive immigration enforcement, it's not the fault of the people carrying out that enforcement—it's the fault of Democrats who let illegal immigrants in and the media who won't report on immigrant crime. He says voters wanted tough enforcement, so any resulting harm was inevitable and should be blamed on those who caused the original problem, not those solving it.
Conclusion
Any deaths or harms resulting from current immigration law enforcement (such as ICE agent Joseph Moore's suicide) are the fault of Democrats and the media, not the Trump administration or its enforcement policies.
Premises
- Democrats created the underlying problem by unlawfully allowing millions of illegal aliens into the country.
- The media (specifically The Washington Post) failed to report on crimes committed by illegal aliens, showing bias against enforcement.
- Voters mandated aggressive immigration enforcement in the 2024 election, making the current crackdown a legitimate democratic mandate.
- A problem of this magnitude (mass illegal immigration) necessarily requires an equally large, and thus inherently unpleasant or 'ugly,' enforcement solution.
- The media's coverage of enforcement tragedies is motivated by a desire to stop enforcement so more illegal immigrants can be imported for future Democrat votes/census apportionment, not genuine concern for victims.
- Because the administration was merely fulfilling a voter mandate that was foreseeably going to involve hardship, blame for negative outcomes shifts entirely to those who created the original crisis (Democrats) and those covering it critically (media).
Assumptions
- Moral and causal responsibility for harm lies with whoever created the initial conditions, not with those who chose the specific methods of response.
- The media's motives in covering immigration tragedies are cynical and partisan rather than genuinely journalistic.
- Rapid, under-vetted hiring practices at ICE are not themselves a legitimate causal factor in agent Moore's death.
- A 2024 electoral mandate for stricter enforcement justifies any resulting harshness or harm in implementation.
- Illegal immigrants as a group are characterized primarily through crimes ('raped, robbed, and murdered'), which is generalizable enough to justify aggressive enforcement.
- There is no meaningful distinction between the administration's operational choices (e.g., vetting standards) and the broader policy goal of enforcement itself.