{"id":17577,"date":"2018-08-31T19:09:58","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T23:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=17577"},"modified":"2018-12-28T10:05:04","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T15:05:04","slug":"new-york-gov-cuomo-calls-ice-a-bunch-of-thugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2018\/08\/31\/new-york-gov-cuomo-calls-ice-a-bunch-of-thugs\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Gov. Cuomo Calls ICE \u201cA Bunch of Thugs\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a debate with challenger Cynthia Nixon for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared<\/a>, \u201cNew York is the state that is suing Donald Trump for ripping babies from the arms of their mothers, saying we will not cooperate with ICE they\u2019re a bunch of thugs. We said we will sue them if they violate any criminal laws in the state of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuomo is fighting an unexpectedly strong challenge from the former \u201cSex in the City\u201d star, who is running to his left. Nixon was one of the early backers of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Socialist who upset long-serving incumbent Joe Crowley in her congressional primary earlier this summer.<\/p>\n

Whether Cuomo\u2019s political pandering is good politics or bad politics is irrelevant. (It is more likely the latter. Even in solid blue New York people have not lost their minds.) What is important is that that sort of rhetoric from a sitting governor is dangerous. When the governor of New York labels a law enforcement agency as \u201ca bunch of thugs,\u201d he is almost inviting violence against the men and women who serve in ICE.<\/p>\n

Gov. Cuomo is free to protest against any federal policies he finds objectionable. That is his right as a citizen. He\u2019s even free to waste the taxpayers of New York\u2019s money with frivolous lawsuits over matters that are under the federal government\u2019s control. What no responsible public official should have the right to do is endanger the lives and safety of duly empowered law enforcement officials by labeling them \u201cthugs,\u201d because he thinks it will help him win votes.