Bob Brooks did good work on American Agenda pulling back the curtain on what should be obvious to every patriot: this sudden Democrat sanctimony about deportations and ICE is more political theater than conviction. For years Democrats voted for fences, deportation rules, and crackdowns; now they posture for votes and applause while pretending they invented compassion.
Remember the Secure Fence Act of 2006 — a congressional effort to beef up physical barriers along the southern border that passed with sizable, bipartisan margins in both the House and Senate. That law, and the votes that put it on the books, are inconvenient receipts for modern-day critics who suddenly act like border security is a partisan sin.
Go back further and you’ll find the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, signed by President Clinton, which remodeled removal law and passed by overwhelming, bipartisan margins in Congress. Democrats who now howl about deportations once voted for the legal architecture that made enforcement possible — a fact that exposes how much of the current outrage is political theater.
Even under Democratic leadership, the federal government enforced the law. Formal removals under President Obama reached historic highs in the early 2010s, with annual removals peaking and total removals during his term running into the millions. That reality undercuts the idea that one party has a monopoly on enforcement — it proves that enforcement has long been part of the bipartisan toolbox.
Fast-forward to the last decade and the narrative flips: “Abolish ICE” went from a fringe slogan to a rallying cry embraced by prominent Democrats and progressive activists after 2018, even as those same lawmakers once supported tougher enforcement measures. That performative pivot should raise every voter’s hackles; principled oversight of a law enforcement agency is one thing, but blanket abolition is another and reeks of ideological inconsistency.
Recent incidents have amplified the chorus against ICE, and Democratic leaders have been quick to exploit tragedy for political advantage rather than sober reform. When federal agents were involved in a controversial Minneapolis shooting in late January 2026, many Democrats leapt to calls for dismantling federal enforcement instead of demanding due process and measured accountability — a classic partisan reflex.
Hardworking Americans see through this: we want secure borders, lawful immigration, and accountable enforcement — not cynical swings of policy for headlines. Conservatives should keep pressing the point that the rule of law protects communities, and we should hold every elected official accountable when they rewrite their records to fit the latest focus group.
The real test going forward is straightforward: will politicians stand with law and order and the American people, or will they keep switching positions to chase votes? Bob Brooks did the country a service by showing the receipts; now it’s up to citizens to demand consistency, competence, and real solutions at the border.
