Amidst the calls from the left to “Abolish ICE” came news that the federal enforcement agency arrested a former Nazi labor camp guard hiding out in the U.S. for decades.
95-year-old Jakiw Palij was a former Nazi labor camp guard in German-occupied Poland. He reportedly migrated to the U.S. in 1949 and lied to officials claiming to be a farmer and factory worker to conceal the truth about his Nazi service. He helped ensure the tragic murder of 6,000 Jewish men, women, and children in one bloody single massacre alone.
Palij’s crimes eventually came to light. Despite attempts by several administrations as far back as 2003 to have him deported following his U.S. citizenship being revoked, it was the efforts by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Justice Department under the Trump Administration that this war criminal has finally been booted from New York with a one-way ticket to Germany.
“The United States will never be a safe haven for those who have participated in atrocities, war crimes, and human rights abuses,” said Attorney General Sessions.
“Nazi war criminals and human rights violators have no safe haven on our shores,” said Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “We will relentlessly pursue them, wherever they may be found, and bring them to justice. The arrest and removal of Jakiw Palij to Germany is a testament to the dedication and commitment of the men and women of ICE, who faithfully enforce our immigration laws to protect the American people.”
Interestingly Palij is not the first Nazi war criminal to be tracked down and deported by ICE.
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ICE manages immigration enforcement within our borders and while deportations -like Palij’s or other illegal immigrants- gain attention, ICE does quite a lot more such as stopping human trafficking, smuggling of weapons and drugs, and cybersecurity concerns.
No one should have qualms with keeping our children, women, and communities safe, but sadly, “Abolish ICE” has moved from a fringe idea to mainstream progressive politics lately.
Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on her campaign website: “It’s time to abolish ice, clear the path to citizenship, and protect the rights of families to remain together.”
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said to CNN, “I believe that ice has become a deportation force … and that’s why I believe you should get rid of it, start over, reimagine it, and build something that actually works.”
Even liberal leaders who haven’t denounced ICE have come dangerously close. California Senator Kamala Harris said in an interview that it’s necessary we “reexamine” the agency and perhaps consider “starting from scratch.”
In light of the deportation of yet another Nazi war criminal along with 226,000 deportations last year (a significant number of which were dangerous people), there’s good rationale to put these calls to “Abolish ICE” on ice.
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