Treating People Like Horse Dung
One of the things that fascinates me about Americans living today is the willingness of many of them to treat immigrants like horse dung. I just don’t get it. No, I’m not saying that they treat people like that directly. I’m saying that they support and even get excited about how the U.S. government treats immigrants like horse dung.
Consider what the U.S. government has done to migrants it has sent to El Salvador. Pursuant to a deal that U.S. officials have entered into with the Salvadoran government that involved payment of $6 million in U.S. taxpayer money, U.S. officials are sending migrants to that country to be incarcerated in a brutal prison in which it is common knowledge that torture and other horrific human-rights abuses are taking place.
Many Americans are outright giddy over what is happening. They think it’s fantastic that people who have never been convicted of a crime are being subjected to this type of horrific mistreatment.
Why? How can anyone get excited over the fact that the U.S. government is treating human beings like horse dung?
It’s all because these people had the audacity to come to the United States in an effort to save or improve their own lives and the lives of their families. What’s wrong with that? Well, they didn’t wait their turn by standing in line back in their home countries, where many of them were faced with death by starvation. They entered the United States illegally.
Big deal. Nonetheless, does not mean that anything goes when it comes to mistreating people? Just because people have entered the United States illegally, does that really justify treating them like horse dung?
After all, doesn’t the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibit U.S. officials from inflicting cruel and unusual punishments on everyone, foreigners and Americans alike? Are we just supposed to ignore or forget about that amendment when we think about their sending migrants who have never been convicted of a crime to serve time in a brutal foreign prison? What about when U.S. officials begin doing the same to American citizens? I’ll bet there are Americans who will also be giddy about that.
U.S. officials say that the people who are now serving time in that El Salvador prison were members of a Venezuelan drug-running gang. Even if that is true, does that warrant treating them as horse dung? If they are accused of having broken the law, what would be wrong with indicting and convicting them before they are sentenced to serve time in a brutal, tortuous foreign prison?
In fact, we don’t even know whether the gang accusation is true, even though many giddy Americans say it must be true if federal officials have made the accusation. Moreover, is it against U.S. law to have been a memb
Article from The Future of Freedom Foundation
The Future of Freedom Foundation (FFF) is a leading voice in libertarian thought, tirelessly advocating for individual liberty, free markets, and limited government. Established in 1989, the FFF is more than just a think tank; it’s a hub for intellectual exploration and policy advocacy that draws on the classical liberal tradition and Austrian economics. Through insightful articles, videos, and events featuring top libertarian minds, the organization provides a robust critique of mainstream politics and policies, championing instead the principles that underlie a truly free society. For anyone seeking a principled stand for freedom and limited government, the Future of Freedom Foundation serves as an invaluable resource and an inspiring beacon.
