A New Mexico state representative didn’t mince words when a state legislative committee overseeing courts and justice policy opened the floor for remarks on Wednesday.
During the two-day meeting of the legislature’s Court, Corrections and Justice Committee State Representative Eleanor Chávez, a Democrat from Bernalillo County’s South Valley, recalled stories the committee had been told of agents reported working with local police officers in Anthony and outside a school in Las Cruces near the U.S-Mexico border.
Chávez closed her remarks this way:
Many of you know that a few years ago I took in a young person from another country who was fleeing not only poverty but abuse, gang threats. I fear for his safety and his life every day.
I fear for my neighbors who some live in mixed families every day. And I know that many of us on this committee feel the same way. And I’m going to call it what it is.
It’s fascism and ICE is acting like the KKK.
And we’ve got to stop our local police, our state police. We’ve got to stop those employees who are collaborating with ICE. We’ve got to stop them. And we’ve got to make our laws stronger so that we protect ourselves because when they’re done coming after our immigrant community, they’re going to start picking everybody else off as well. and we need to understand that. So the time to stand up is now. It’s not time to stand down. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for strong words, Rep. Chávez. Too many MOC, other politicians, and everyday citizens are hesitant to call these actions what they are, and the people directing ICE who they are. We will not be strong enough to stop them until we can at least call them what they are: Fascists.
PROTECT OUR COMMINITY ?
Representative Eleanor Chavez does not seem to understand that Congress legislated immigration laws 100 years ago and these laws have been enforced to varying degrees by every subsequent Presidential administration since. She also does not seem to understand or appreciate that she has taken an oath to uphold the law and the US Constitution and her statements violate that oath. I would like to know who the hell she thinks she is to denigrate and slander the professional law enforcement community that put their lives on the line every day so that she can talk like a child instead of an individual elected to represent the citizens of New Mexico.