Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.
This week on Maryland Caucus, it gets very local and very personal. Last week, ICE agents arrested Talbot County’s Pastor Daniel Espinal for immigration violations after he had lived in the area for almost three decades, providing clerical support to hundreds of families.
Just one example of Pastor Espinal’s service in the community was to help officiate the memorial service for Len’s eighteen-year-old son Darius, who had tragically lost his life in a car accident the week before. Adding to the sense of shock of Pastor Espinal’s detention was the fact that Darren Foxwell’s best friend at Easton High School was the pastor’s son, Daniel, who was at his deathbed in the hospital.
Len and Clay discuss the circumstances and policy implications of these arrests, as well as some of the political consequences for this increasingly unpopular federal approach to illegal immigration.
Rick Hughes says
So, if I heard Mr. Mitchell correctly, he supports Trump “most of the time” (80% to be exact) and differs from the approach on immigration and deportation mostly because it would be “expensive” to remove so many people. He goes on to say that we need workers and tax payers and therefore we should figure a way to allow those who have been here for years, as productive tax paying members of society, to stay, without a pathway to citizenship, and accompanied by PUNISHMENT. Since Trump himself is avoiding punishment on his many, many felony conviction charges and has pardoned 1,600 convicted J6 felons… why must these productive members of our society, our friends and neighbors, be punished? In the meantime, families are pulled apart and the USA is subjecting potentially innocent people to undetermined terms of imprisonment, in foreign countries, without due process of law. I never thought a true law and order conservative would ever allow a potentially innocent person to not have his/her day in court, not to mention spending a day in prison without sentencing by a court first. What is happening is deplorable. It is a question of humanity and this is happening because these are not white people, let’s just say it like it is. Masked ICE agents with no identifying uniforms, who knows what training, supposedly some J6 pardonees, are abducting people off of the streets like a kidnapping in a movie. Mitchell also had to follow the cult rules and mention Biden and the border, but did he mention the bipartisan immigration bill that Trump squashed in order to keep immigration a hot topic? If you support Trump 80% of the time Mr. Mitchell, why not make a lit of the felonious things you are ok with and the ones that you’re not. Or do you add an economic test to whether you think something falls into your Naughty list? If you support Trump 80% of the time, you aren’t just a Republican… you are MAGA.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Anyone who still supports Trump in any way should be shunned. This Mr. Mitchell included. He and his kind have no business having a platform to amplify lies from
a felon and his fascist administration. Note: not only is he a supporter of a traitor, he is thus whitewashing
behavior that is inexcusable in any democracy. Or any decent human.
The Hispanic member of the clergy arrested by ICE in Talbot County. Grotesque.
Michael Davis says
There is pretty stark conttast here between your two moderators. Mr. Foxwell addresses the religious and human rights issues of the cruel treatment of Pastor Espinal. Mr. Mitchell only regrets the abuse of Mr. Espinal based on economic grounds. We can assume that if it was cost effective to send Pastor Espinal to Floride and feed him to alligators, Mr. Mitchell would be all for it.
Mitchell’s comment that he agrees with 80% of what Trump does is like the claim that Mussolini wasn’t so bad because he made the trains run on time. This comparison is also apt because it’s a lie that Mussolini made the trains run on time. And it’s a lie that Trump is doing anything good for America. Quite the contrary, like Mussolini destroyed Italy, Trump and all his supporters like Mr. Mitchell are destroying America.
Mr Mitchell cannot even avoid repeating the long debunked data about how all illegal immigration was due to Biden. I suppose in keeping with Mr. Michell’s immoral view that the ends justify the means, he’ll repeat lies in the greater service of Trump.
I wish the Spy could find an honest conservative for this political exchange. Surely, there is someone on the Shore more ethical than sycophant Mitchell. David Brooks lives on the Eastern Shore. Maybe he could recommend an honest conservative commentator who is not a MAGA true believer.
Willard Engelskirchen says
Many may be unaware that the option of getting a visa to come to the US from another country especially in Latin America and then emigrating here to work “the right way” just did not exist. There was no line to get into. The whole issue is complex.
Right wing Trump favorite Laura Loomer has suggested that 65 million need to be deported. That would have to include people who are citizens and / or were born here as there are not 65 undocumented people in our country.
One of my daughters whose mother was Mexican and who has a graduate degree from Michigan was once told, by a stranger in a shopping center, “you should go back where you came from!” The guy who said that did not mean Chicago.
Our undocumented population has made great contributions to our economy and society. It is time to recognize that. The agricultural industry needs it. The homebuilding industry needs it. So do other segments.
The whole picture seems to be clouded by a perception of race and color. Why else would white South Africans be welcomed?
Rick Hughes says
Well said, thank you.
Jane Phelan says
Hear, hear!
Brian Wroten says
Look at MAGA trying to meekly backpedal “this is wrong”. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU VOTED FOR. Trump talked about his grand deportation plans the entire campaign and it didn’t turn you off. Stop letting these unaccountable sycophants gaslight the public. Why even have this guy on? It’s impossible for them to be truthful.
The Rt. Rev. Joel Marcus Johnson - Anglican Bishop of The Chesapeake, Ret'd. says
That ICE would arrest The Rev. Daniel Espinal was a foregone conclusion. To put it simply, he was targeted. ICE has been creating self-serving catches across the nation which both polish its badge and dispirit Hispanic communities. Doubtless, members of Pastor Espinal’s church should be sure that ICE will be worshipping with them this Sunday, prayers in Spanish offered inside, whilst outside agents will be checking license plates, awaiting their drivers. There will be no coffee hour.
This has happened before in Easton. In 1994 the then-INS raided an apartment complex, hauling off at least a dozen undocumented Hispanics. I represented many of their cases before the Asylum Office in Arlington, Virginia, and in the U.S. Immigration Court in Baltimore. As in those days I pastored a store front chapel in downtown Easton, I made it privately known to our Hispanics to enter by the alley door for the following Sunday’s Spanish mass. Mass concluded, our strategy was to have those with green cards or who were citizens to socialize outside the front door. The INS agents, whom we expected, were baffled, even angry, to be greeted by our legals – while other worshippers squeezed into the sacristy, invisible through the chapel’s front windows – all of them documented within the immigration system, yet vulnerable to agents eager only to collect vast numbers.
To victimize prominent members of a targeted community has been well learned by ICE. When Herman Goering established the Third Reich’s Gestapo in 1933, their methods were to first target such prominent Jews as rabbis and cantors, congregation and community leaders, elected civic leaders and teachers, thus dispiriting and creating fear within the remaining Jewish families. Those Secret State Police, taught to sniff out their fears, sent Jews off to the Alligator Alcatraz’s of their time. It’s an old, old story. It has happened in every civilization in recorded history
Rick Hughes says
Thank you!
Eva M. Smorzaniuk MD says
Thank you for speaking out. The next question is „what shall we do”? If we do nothing we are complicit. Have we lost the right to protect human rights within our community?
Eva M. Smorzaniuk MD says
Agree with the other responses – everyone , regardless of party affiliation, should be outraged by this inhumane and unjust act. Mr. Mitchell’s reaction is pathetic. The Spy should strive to find a conservative viewpoint that hasn’t been radicalized by MAGA.
Rick Hughes says
AGREED!
Kent Robertson says
The way I see it is that administrations on both sides of the aisle have turned a blind eye to immigration law breakers. This resulted in millions of immigrants like the pastor becoming long term residents, often model residents. They are here because of policies of our government.
I believe the real problem is that the Congress hasn’t done its job and passed comprehensive immigration reform. We need immigration laws that reflect our needs for more taxpaying citizens with the skills we need. A limited number of those without those skills should be admitted on humanitarian grounds. There are hundreds of millions of destitute people in the world who would like to come here. We can’t take them all. Our immigration laws should reflect the fact that many model residents are here leading lawful, productive lives. All immigrants convicted of felonies or even multiple misdemeanors should be deported, as should able-bodied people who could work, but don’t. .
Let’s place the blame where it lies…with the government officials we have elected for 20+ years. Ultimately that means we the people who elected them.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Wrong. No “both sides”on this issue. A ground breaking bi partisan bill was about to be passed a year ago that would have solved this immigration issue as others had not. Trump the candidate told
Congress to defeat it. They did. See, he wanted the issue to chum the waters for MAGA. Trump could care less about solving the issue: it is for theatrics
and stoking the base. Perfect word for his followers: base human being.
Kent Robertson says
So they should have gone back to the drawing board, found compromises that would have gotten enough votes to become law. BOTH sides are so stuck in their political camps that they can’t find compromise. If administrations hadn’t made policies that essentially opened the borders, this situation wouldn’t exist.
Lance Simon says
Regarding Clayton Mitchell’s claim:
Did President Biden “famously” allow 10 million undocumented immigrant to enter the US?
Let’s see what Google AI thinks about this…
AI Overview
No, President Biden did not “allow 10 million undocumented immigrants to enter the US”. This statement is considered misleading, as it misrepresents the nature of border crossing statistics.
Here’s why the claim is misleading and a more accurate representation of the situation:
“Encounters” are not the same as individuals who successfully enter and stay in the US: When discussing border crossings, the term “encounters” refers to instances where migrants are apprehended or deemed inadmissible by border officials.
Biden’s administration has recorded a significant increase in encounters at the border: Since President Biden took office in January 2021, the US has seen a record high number of migrant encounters, according to the BBC. Some reports indicate over 10 million encounters since January 2021. It’s crucial to note that this number includes repeat crossings by the same individuals.
Many encountered individuals are returned or removed: A large portion of those encountered at the border are either returned to their country of origin or removed from the US, according to the Center for Migration Studies of New York.
Factors contributing to increased border crossings: The rise in border encounters can be attributed to various “push” and “pull” factors, including violence and instability in migrants’ home countries, along with factors like the strength of the US economy and policies or perceived weaknesses in border enforcement.
Estimates of unauthorized immigrants living in the US are different from encounter numbers: While there are debates and differing estimates regarding the actual number of unauthorized immigrants residing in the US, these figures are distinct from the number of border encounters. The Department of Homeland Security estimated that there were 11 million [TOTAL] unauthorized migrants living in the US as of January 2022, with the majority having arrived before the Biden administration.
In conclusion, while the Biden administration has seen a significant increase in border encounters, equating those encounters directly to 10 million undocumented immigrants “allowed in” is inaccurate and misrepresents the complexities of immigration and border enforcement.
Rick Hughes says
Thanks Lance!
Lance Simon says
Regarding Clayton Mitchell’s claim:
Did President Biden “famously” allow 10 million undocumented immigrant to enter the US?
Let’s see what Google AI thinks about this… response quoted verbatim below.
AI Overview
No, President Biden did not “allow 10 million undocumented immigrants to enter the US”. This statement is considered misleading, as it misrepresents the nature of border crossing statistics.
Here’s why the claim is misleading and a more accurate representation of the situation:
“Encounters” are not the same as individuals who successfully enter and stay in the US: When discussing border crossings, the term “encounters” refers to instances where migrants are apprehended or deemed inadmissible by border officials.
Biden’s administration has recorded a significant increase in encounters at the border: Since President Biden took office in January 2021, the US has seen a record high number of migrant encounters, according to the BBC. Some reports indicate over 10 million encounters since January 2021. It’s crucial to note that this number includes repeat crossings by the same individuals.
Many encountered individuals are returned or removed: A large portion of those encountered at the border are either returned to their country of origin or removed from the US, according to the Center for Migration Studies of New York.
Factors contributing to increased border crossings: The rise in border encounters can be attributed to various “push” and “pull” factors, including violence and instability in migrants’ home countries, along with factors like the strength of the US economy and policies or perceived weaknesses in border enforcement.
Estimates of unauthorized immigrants living in the US are different from encounter numbers: While there are debates and differing estimates regarding the actual number of unauthorized immigrants residing in the US, these figures are distinct from the number of border encounters. The Department of Homeland Security estimated that there were 11 million [TOTAL] unauthorized migrants living in the US as of January 2022, with the majority having arrived before the Biden administration.
In conclusion, while the Biden administration has seen a significant increase in border encounters, equating those encounters directly to 10 million undocumented immigrants “allowed in” is inaccurate and misrepresents the complexities of immigration and border enforcement.
Mary Margaret Revell Goodwin says
This is a story that urgently needs telling! While getting the “worst of the worst” gone by deportation Afrer!!due process is fine, that’s not this! It is a tactic neat to instill fear! It is also not only un-American it is authoritarian bordering on early nazi tactics.
The process of gaining American citizenship is not meant to be easy, and there are many reasons why it isn’t done first off by newcomers. Regardless, those who have dedicated themselves to their community & good works deserve our respect & help! Sadly we here don’t have a Congressional Representative who spends enough time in his district that he is able to even be able to begin to feel compassion or willingness to
help. It needs to be up to the entire community to Make it Known this is unacceptable and we don’t accept it. Now start the community meeting for a plan of action! If you think this will be the only case you are sadly mistaken! Trump & his weak Congressional followers had a chance to do a first decent immigration law but Trump did not want that! This is not about immigration properly done. It’s about doing away with everything we’ve spent, argued & fought for for nearly 250 years. Now as we prepare to commemorate all those efforts, arguments and heart, we are giving it all up! That’s not who we are, but we’ve either forgotten or deliberately bypassed it while aiming for selfish personal goals!
Roger Berkley says
Vote them out in 26’ and 28’. Trump and his MAGA Republicans must be removed. Roger
Bob Kopec says
Trump, a rapist, convicted felon and his illegal immigrant wife should be #1 and #2 on the ICE list to be seized and deported.
Trump campaigned to remove all criminals and illegals from the U.S. He did not realize he was talking about himself and his wife.