The nation found itself once again facing a partial government shutdown, and the finger-pointing began immediately. Columnist Guy Benson argued the crisis wasn't simply a disagreement over policy, but a consequence of deeply rooted Democratic internal struggles – a need to publicly demonstrate opposition to both the President and the very agencies tasked with enforcing immigration laws.
Benson pointed to a pattern, recalling the record-breaking shutdown from the previous year. He suggested this latest impasse stemmed from a calculated Democratic strategy, even if largely symbolic, driven by internal political pressures. The core issue, he asserted, wasn’t necessarily about specific funding amounts, but about making a statement.
However, Benson didn’t absolve Republicans of responsibility. He criticized their decision to leave Washington, D.C., creating a vacuum that Democrats readily exploited. This departure, he explained, allowed Democrats to frame the shutdown as a Republican failure – a consequence of internal division and inability to govern.
A simple act of staying put, of forcing a confrontation, could have altered the narrative, Benson argued. He acknowledged the discomfort such a move might have caused, but insisted it was a necessary demonstration of leadership and commitment to keeping the government functioning. The opportunity to control the story was, in his view, needlessly surrendered.
The heart of the dispute, Benson explained, lay in Democratic resistance to funding the Department of Homeland Security. This wasn’t merely about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he clarified, but a broader opposition to the enforcement of immigration laws altogether. He emphasized the critical role ICE plays in upholding existing legislation.
Benson further highlighted the complications created by “sanctuary” policies, accusing politicians of actively shielding individuals who had broken the law. He described this as a dangerous empowerment of criminal activity, exacerbating the challenges faced by law enforcement. The situation was made even more perplexing, he noted, by Democratic objections to funding for Border Patrol itself.
