WASHINGTON: Organizations, whether in the public sector or private sector, tend to issue press releases for many purposes, but most often it is for public relations.
Federal agencies, including ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement to convince the public that the money that is appropriated by Congress has been well spent.
I plan to periodically write commentaries to dissect significant ICE press releases and shed light on the truth behind those press releases. The most effective weapon we have in our arsenal to make our government accountable is the ability to ask the best questions we can. Questions are most impactful when they are based on knowledge and, indeed, it has been said that you can more readily determine the intelligence of a person by the questions he/she asks rather that the answers that the person provides.
Considering the number of illegal aliens present in the United States, especially aliens engaged in criminal and gang-related crimes and the availability of heroin and cocaine on the streets of towns and cities across the United States, it is obvious that “border security” is a more outlandish oxymoron than the late George Carlin’s “Jumbo shrimp” or my personal favorite, “Heroic play.”
I routinely review the press releases that the DOJ, DHS, ICE and CBP post. Because these press releases are usually little more than propaganda I have come to refer to my visits to their websites as “dumpster diving.”
Occasionally law enforcement officers dig through the trash cans left at the curb by individuals or organizations that are under investigation, to seek evidence. Similarly, reviewing these press releases may open a window into the operations of these law enforcement agencies and into the strategies that the administration employs to mislead us.
