Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger rolled out a kind of political flea circus this week with an anti-ICE executive order that would purportedly keep ICE out of polling places and other commonwealth areas. It did not matter that the order has no real impact on ICE. The important thing is the appearance of an impact on ICE.
In the movie Jurassic Park, character John Hammond explained how he got a start by creating flea circuses:
“You know the first attraction I ever built when I came down south from Scotland? It was a Flea Circus, Petticoat Lane. Really quite wonderful. We had a wee trapeze, and a merry-go… carousel and a seesaw. They all moved, motorized of course, but people would say they could see the fleas. “Oh, I see the fleas, mummy! Can’t you see the fleas?” Clown fleas and high wire fleas and fleas on parade.”
Spanberger unveiled her own flea circus attraction this week with an executive order ordering state employees to get federal agents to produce a valid warrant on “property of the Commonwealth” and instructs them to “not permit” federal agents to use those areas as staging or processing locations. She told the media that this was particularly at polling sites.
The illusion was assisted by MSNOW, which portrayed one of their favorite politicians as protecting polling places and, of course, democracy. MS Now host Jonathan Capehart asked, “How concerned are you that he will send either the military or the National Guard or even ICE to polling places, and what can you do, if anything, to stop him?”
Spanberger explained ominously:
“The reality is, throughout history, we have seen efforts at intimidating voters. My worry is we will continue to see those heightened… I’ll be issuing guidance across public spaces, including polling places, of how Virginia state employees can react to federal agents who might be appearing at a location where the worry is that they’re principally there to intimidate or scare people.”
Neither, of course, mentioned that there are already federal barriers to such intrusion into polling places. For example, 18 U.S.C. 592 states in part:
“Whoever, being an officer of the Army or Navy, or other person in the civil, military, or naval service of the United States, orders, brings, keeps, or has under his authority or control any troops or armed men at any place where a general or special election is held, unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both; and be disqualified from holding any office of honor, profit, or trust under the United States.”
That provision includes all federal civil personnel, including ICE.
While there might be instances in which federal officials respond to requests from local or state law enforcement to address a specific criminal act, there is already a general bar on posting or stationing such personnel at polling places.
As for the suggestion of other bars on ICE operating on Commonwealth property, good luck with that. Various Democratic governors and legislatures have moved to impose limitations, which are clearly unconstitutional. Indeed, we have seen at least one judge convicted of trying to bar ICE from a courthouse and assisting the escape of an individual sought by agents.
Notably, Spanberger is aware of these limits after she vetoed a separate bill that would have banned ICE from making detentions in hospitals, schools, courthouses, and polling places without a judicial warrant or subpoena. She recognized that such laws “would create unavoidable legal liability for security personnel and local law enforcement officers when assessing federal immigration enforcement activities in certain protected areas.”
Instead, she offered an illusory executive order that reaffirmed her image as an anti-ICE governor who is cutting off ICE in the state. It is doubtful that this order will ever be challenged because it is unlikely to be actually used as authority for any action.
For diehard Democrats, they could swear that they see the fleas moving the merry-go-round.
Scamberger is all illusion. She was created by the Democrat machine, someone who was a Postal Inspector for a couple of years (thanks to her daddy, but a failure at that job), and worked for the CIA again for a few years (also, not much of a success). After that, she immediately turned to politics, since that was the ultimate goal, and the party machine made it happen. Scamberger is no moderate. She is a greedy-for-power Democrat political hack, and all her actions since becoming governor validate that label. The only positive is that, with her spectacular failed overreach on redistricting, Scamberger destroyed her chances at even higher office.
Seems circuses are the only thing Democrats have. The Jan 6th committee circus with scripts, an ABC producer, a flea for a star witness. The Summer of Love circus. The CHOP/CHAZ circus. The VA Monster Lobster gerrymander circus that failed in grand fashion. The circus like response to the failed VA Monster Lobster circus. The billions of dollars in fraud in MN and CA circus. The NYC/Mamdani Tax the Rich circus that is driving out those very people and companies they want to tax.
helping illegals “invaders” is a crime
Start Arrest these democrats…by the 1000’s
Spanberger is rather typical of many newly elected politicians – not all Democrats. She was chosen for her visual and moderate appeal to voters, but one who is totally obedient to orders given from above. This perfectly explains her abrupt change post election. Hopefully, her autopen is not on sale, too.
As Agassi said – Image is everything
The obvious question—why is ICE a problem if no illegals are voting?
She doesn’t want them at the polls because that’s one of two places where you’ll find the most illegal aliens. The other is the parking lot at Home Depot.
The revelation of this behavior is important, yet virtually meaningless. Sort of like publishing an article about the impropriety of theft. We know that the Democrats form the party of image, of feel-good gestures and emotional guilt. We don’t need more advisories. What we need is fierce criticism. Shame for the perpetrators. Public outrage.
Spanberger is nothing but a Hard Left-Wing STOOGE, controlled by others. She is ALL Show and Smiles, No Substance promoting radical Left-Wing policies and protect illegal migrants and criminals.
actually she is an CIA trained Government over throw Expert!
The question is does the GOP have the guts to start jailing Democrats for THEIR 2nd Civil War… Helping invaders is TREASON!
dumbocrats: Insincerity is not a plan.