On Tuesday, authorities in Iowa believe they discovered the body of 20-year-old college student Mollie Tibbetts, who went missing on July 18 while on a jog. A medical examiner still needs to conduct an autopsy, but the authorities arrested an illegal immigrant and charged him with first degree murder.
CNN host John Berman asked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) about immigration laws and she responded with some sympathy for Tibbetts’ family, but then went on an attack on how illegal immigrants are treated at the border.
Berman said: “I want to get one last question in here because it is a story, a very important story in the news, it has to do with Mollie Tibbetts, the young woman in Iowa who was murdered. Her body believed to be found yesterday. A person has been charged with it. This person the person is an undocumented immigrant. Mike Pence and the President have suggested the immigration laws need to be stronger so that people like this man who is accused of this murder were not in the country. Your reaction?”
Warren responds with a little sympathy for Tibbets’ family and the community at the University of Iowa, saying she’s really sorry and she knows it’s really hard for them, but…..
“One of the things we have to remember is we need an immigration system that is effective, that focuses on where real problems are.”
Great! Warren wants to discuss real problems like people who are a legitimate threat to the country and citizens. This is a great way to discuss ideas so another family doesn’t have to lose a loved one, right?
Nope. Warren decides to go another direction:
“Last month, I went down to the border and I saw where children had been taken away from their mothers, I met with their mothers who had been lied to, who didn’t know where their children were, who hadn’t have a chance to talk to their children, and there was no plan for how they would be reunified with their children.”
Oh boy…
“I think we need immigration laws that focus on people who pose a real threat…”
Perfect! Now we will get somewhere right?
“…and I don’t think mamas and babies are the place we should be spending our resources. Separating a mama from a baby does not make this country safer.”
*sigh*
Okay. I won’t get all outragey over this, but I will admit this comes across as insensitive.
Why Warren didn’t just stick to her line “I think we need immigration laws that focus on people who pose a real threat” is beyond me. Why she would bring up separated families at the border while talking about a girl who is now PERMANENTLY separated from her family boggles my mind. Tibbets’ family will never see her again. They don’t have a chance of ever speaking to her again, holding her, calling her, or texting her.
I think we can get behind Warren and agree that yes we need immigration laws that focus on people who pose an actual threat to our country.
But as awful as it is to separate families at the border, it’s nothing like losing a child. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.
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