The aftermath of the deaths of two Latino immigrants at the hands of ICE agents in Houston and Maine, respectively, continue to call into question the official versions of the immigration authorities and, incidentally, illustrate why even on the immigration issue, Republicans seem to be losing their advantage over Democrats.
Deaths that reopen the debate
The violence of the Trump administration's detention and deportation campaign reached one of its worst moments in the operations in Minneapolis when two American citizens were also shot dead by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in separate events. These were not immigrants and not even being citizens protected them from volatile and poorly trained agents whose emphasis on meeting arrest quotas leads them to trample rights and cause deaths.
These events led the American people to label Trump's immigration policy as excessive, too violent. In the context of the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, 65% of Americans thought that Trump's immigration policy “goes too far.”
Now the deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero reflect these excesses and the details that emerge do not leave the immigration authorities in a good position.
In the case of Salgado, it was revealed that the substance found in his vehicle were not illegal drugs. Although Salgado was not wanted by the agents, the government stated that a “substance” in his truck, which could be “methamphetamines,” justified the intervention with his vehicle that culminated in his death.
CBS News reported that the Harris County, Texas, prosecutor's office, Sean Teare, indicated that "we can confirm that the substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's van has tested negative for narcotics or illicit drugs."
“We have informed Salgado Araujo's family because we consider that they had the right to know,” the statement said.
The question is whether charges will be filed against the agents involved who allege that Salgado used his truck as a “weapon” and that is why they shot him dead. A judge ordered the release of one of the three passengers accompanying Salgado from an ICE detention center for being a witness in an ongoing investigation.
Polls show political change
In the case of young Colombian Joan Sebastián, it was reported that the agent who shot him allegedly had a history of violence even against his two ex-wives and still passed ICE training.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that, according to family members, the agent “has a history of terrifying and violent behavior.” “They accuse him of having attacked women around him over the years, and one of them provided the AP with a voice message from last winter in which he told her that he thought someone should cut his throat,” the agency reported.
Border czar Tom Homan said on CNN that “if that's true, I don't think he should have passed the background check.”
For Johan it is too late. The question is, once again, whether there will be accountability or whether the victim will be blamed for her own death.
A Fox News poll showed that for the first time Democrats surpass Republicans 50% to 49% in handling the immigration issue. Although it is one point, that Republican advantage on immigration was eight points just in April, according to the survey.
Perhaps the excesses and violence of immigration policy are a factor since it has closely affected communities throughout the country when they lose a neighbor, a worker, the caregiver of their parents or their sick children, as is happening right now with Haitians who will lose their TPS and with it their work permits and their protection against deportation.
That is to say, the domino effect of an arrest or deportation is not limited to that affected person but has repercussions on families, friends, employers, the community and the treasury itself, which stops receiving tax payments.
The same poll showed low approval ratings for Trump in several areas, particularly the economy, health care, inflation, income inequality and foreign policy.
With this complicated panorama as a background, Trump alludes to “electoral fraud” in his attempt to interfere in the elections.
With perhaps less than 100 days until the midterm elections, voters have already taken Trump's measure.
The challenge for Democrats is to convince these disaffected voters that voting for them and not staying home is the best alternative.
