CBS News apparently thought Sunday morning was a good time to try painting ICE as some kind of unmarked shadow force terrorizing the streets, and they picked maybe the worst possible person to try that on. As USA Journal reported, Margaret Brennan sat down with Tom Homan on Face the Nation and attempted to frame a recent incident, in which an illegal alien died after fleeing from ICE agents during a vehicle pursuit, as evidence that ICE is operating like some kind of rogue outfit.
Brennan's angle was that the ICE vehicle lacked markings, so the man who fled couldn't have known it was law enforcement. Just a mysterious car chasing him down the road. Spooky stuff if you ignore literally everything else about how traffic stops work.
Homan, who apparently woke up that morning fully caffeinated and ready to correct the record, calmly explained reality. "No. They have emergency lights, officers have insignia, so when they get out of that car and approach the car, you can clearly see they are law enforcement officers," he said. You know, those big flashing lights on top that every single person with a driver's license has encountered at some point in their life.
He also pointed out that unmarked law enforcement vehicles are not exactly a new invention. A huge portion of the NYPD fleet is unmarked. This interview was literally taking place in New York City. The irony was right there, just sitting in the room, and nobody at CBS seemed to notice it.
Then Homan dropped the line that apparently cannot be spoken aloud on network television: "They'd be alive today if they had simply complied with a vehicle stop by federal law enforcement. Just comply."
Groundbreaking stuff. If you see flashing lights and hear sirens behind you, pull over. This is not classified intelligence. They teach this in driver's ed, which admittedly you might skip if you are in the country illegally, but the concept of "flashing lights mean stop" is pretty universal across human civilizations.
Homan also came out strongly in favor of body cameras on ICE agents, which seemed to catch the press off guard. Turns out body camera footage exonerates agents far more often than it catches them doing something wrong. A guy demanding more cameras on his own people is not exactly the behavior of someone trying to hide misconduct. That is the behavior of someone who wants receipts.
What makes these interviews so predictable is the formula. The host sets up a narrative designed to make enforcement look sinister. The guest is supposed to get flustered and say something regrettable. Instead, Homan shows up prepared, stays calm, answers with facts, and leaves the host holding an empty bag.
Brennan is a professional journalist and she did her job pushing back. But when your entire line of questioning hinges on the audience not understanding how emergency lights work, you are fighting an uphill battle. Homan did not create the hill. He just stood at the top of it and waved.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
