[MrZongle2]

I can't speak for Trump's attack on the judiciary. He's barking up the wrong tree there, and did little to help his case. It will likely be left for SCOTUS to decide, as should be the case; judges shouldn't be cowed by politicians to change their rulings.

We do disagree about the point about the sanctity of law. IMO selective enforcement (engagement/detainment directives for the Border Patrol) and the implicit support of "sanctuary cities" seem to encourage the violation of immigration law. I think it is specifically the former that gave rise to groups like the Minutemen.

As for carrying water for despicable people...well, so be it. I happen to think that, as with any group, most are reasonable folks of decent character but often overshadowed by the extremists and attention-seekers in their midst -- an argument, I'm happy to point out, also made in the defense of foreign individuals who come to this country under less-than-legal circumstances.

[debatem1]

Just to be clear: selective enforcement is the law of the land. Has been since before IIRIRA passed-- and enforcement was looser, not tighter, before then. So when you say you respect the law, that's the law and I'd expect you to either respect it or say plainly that you don't and why.

Regarding the Minutemen-- a gentle reminder that regardless of whether a person is illegally in this country or not it is a felony to "point your gun right dead at them, right between the eyes", as Chris Davis publicly advocated for during the Minutemen's heyday. And of course, there's Shawna Forde, the leader of Minutemen American Defense. She's an individual so law-abiding that she has her own entry on murderpedia. And the cofounder of the original Minuteman project was later charged with three counts of child molestation including his own daughter, and is currently serving a nearly 20 year sentence resulting from those charges. Then there's the allegations of influence peddling and fraud that have embroiled the organization in litigation against another founder, Jim Gilchrist... and the fact that Simcox cofounded another related Minuteman project with Jason Ready, a known member of the American Nazi party who received a BCD from the Marines, was believed by the FBI to have been involved in the execution of at least two suspected illegal immigrants, and finally wrapped things up with a 4-on-1 murder-suicide a few years ago. Seriously law abiding folks, there-- and just as another reminder that's the leadership. That's who these supposedly lawful folks decided to follow. Those are the people whose acts you compare the civil infractions of illegal immigrants to.

You know what? I'll take the illegal immigrants, thanks.