Latest news with #RayMarcano
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Our country has a new target: mothers of babies. It is truly evil genius
Ray Marcano, a longtime journalist, is the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright fellow. He is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor. Parents don't let their babies go. Give them a choice, and it's no choice. My baby goes with me. That primal instinct, that cocoon of protection, that deep-seated love, has been weaponized by a Trump administration that doesn't care about keeping families together. Instead, the government is giving moms and dads here illegally a choice: Take your children born in the United States with you or leave them here, alone. It's a genius move. And it's evil. When Trump promised voters he would deport illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds, Americans cheered. Cases like Rachel Morin, a mother of five killed by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador with gang ties, became seared in the American conscience. Alleged gang members have been arrested in the Columbus area. But Trump, buoyed by early support, has taken a different approach. Instead of keeping families together, Team Trump has decided to tear them apart, so long as the President can crow about deportation numbers. What we know: ICE says it arrested Venezuelan gang member in Columbus It's worth noting that a federal court vacated former President Joe Biden's 'Keeping Families Together program.' The program would have allowed certain spouses and stepchildren of US citizens to stay in the country pending the resolution of their cases. The order, in place or not, likely wouldn't have stopped the administration from its latest tactic. Weaponizing children. This isn't an exaggeration. Three American-born children, ages 2, 4 and 7, last week were deported to Honduras with their mothers, and a judge wondered whether the government sanctioned the removal of U.S. citizens to a foreign country. A lawyer said in a court filing that ICE held the two-year-old girl to persuade her father to turn himself in. The four-year-old has Stage 4 cancer and no access to medication, according to the National Immigration Project. There are other, equally painful and shameful cases. A Cuban woman was deported to Cuba, leaving her American husband and 1-year-old girl behind. And in Ohio, an illegal immigrant seeking asylum has been arrested and threatened with deportation. He has a wife and two children — one born in the United States — and his family could face the same, terrible choice. There's another common thread in most of these cases. The illegal immigrants willfully go to their check-ins, where they're arrested. Some have legal deportation orders from years ago, which begs the question: Why now? That's an easy answer. Trump's reportedly been angry that deportations aren't happening fast enough. So instead of going after the criminals, as he promised, he's going after the most vulnerable. Moms with babies. Using children as leverage shows a lack of humanity, made worse when trying to justify the action. Border Czar Tom Holman denied the government deported American children because the moms wanted to take their babies with them. Of course they do. That's the evil genius of the plan. The government has an easy way to round up illegal immigrants, and that's when they for their check-ins, often with their children in tow. Easy target. Arrest the mom and give her a choice. Take the baby with you or leave her here with … who knows? It's genius. It's evil. It should stop. Let the families stay together until their cases are resolved. It's the humane thing to do. Ray Marcano, a longtime journalist, is the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright fellow. He is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: US weaponizing babies against their moms. It's a genius move | Opinion
USA Today
31-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
DC plane crash: Trump and parrot JD Vance's nonsense about DEI, disabled "smart"
Ray Marcano Contributed Commentary Ray Marcano, a longtime journalist, is the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright fellow. He is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor. We've had a day to digest the horror of the first commercial airplane crash in 16 years when an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. We've also had a day to, once again, see the true colors of Donald Trump. If he were a crayon, his color would be black, to mimic his heart. President Trump, or at least someone who wrote for him on social media, struck the tone you expect from the commander-in-chief immediately following the tragedy that struck late Wednesday night. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Then, on Thursday, Trump held a moment of silence at a White House press briefing, calling the incident a "tragedy of terrible proportions" before noting, 'Our hearts are shattered. Our prayers are with you now and in the days to come." Way to go. He should have stopped there but didn't. As is his tendency, he couldn't help himself and went on a rant linking DEI to the deaths of 67 people. Here's what he said: 'A group within the FAA determined that the workforce was too white, then they had concerted efforts to get the administration to change that and to change it immediately. This was in the Obama administration.' He also ripped an FAA program to hire people with disabilities because he falsely claimed they were being hired as air traffic controllers. 'The initiative is part of the FAA's 'diversity and inclusion hiring plan," which says diversity is "integral to achieving the FAA's mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel.' I don't think so. I don't think so. I think it's just the opposite,' he said. Our JD Vance plays puppet Of course, J.D. Vance, the vice-president from Middletown, eagerly parroted his boss's nonsense. "If you go to some of the headlines over the past 10 years many hundreds of people suing the government because they would like to be air traffic controllers but turned away because of the color of their skin,' he said at the briefing. Headlines? The FAA has indeed had to settle some discrimination cases, but Vance does what he does well. He commented on 'headlines' with no data to show how many lawsuits and settlements were based on race. He sure left a negative impression. It's never a surprise when Trump plays his greatest grievance hits. He's calculated and smart about when to reach his audience with the red meat they crave. Some 45% of people surveyed in a Fox News poll believe it's extremely (29%) or very (16%) important the Trump administration end DEI programs. But there's a time and a place for everything, and this was neither. Bringing out the tar and feathers It's a time when the country demands, not asks, for compassionate leadership from its commander-in-chief. Trump has always been incapable of exhibiting that trait for long. 'Hearts are shattered' followed by calling former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg an expletive and a disaster is right out of his playbook. It also makes sense that he called out Buttigieg since he might run for president. It's never too early to tar and feather an opponent. But wait, there's more! Trump risks dragging down Republicans who have to sit silently by while he blames racist DEI policy (as he calls it) for the horrific deaths in the sky. You get the liar you bought What will the GOP say when asked about his comments? Not much. And by the time you read this, Trump will say that his remarks were taken out of context and blame a left-wing media out to get him. He can't hide from his imprudent words. Some 67 people, including members of the armed services, were on the crafts that plunged into the Potomac River. Officials believe all perished. Trump disrespected these lost souls by using a solemn occasion to foster healing to instead foster political vengeance and spite — another trick he often uses. The Trump and Vance circus distracted from the real issues the FAA faces. Ray Marcano:Vance knows damn well no one is eating dogs in Springfield. He, Trump must stay away | Opinion GOP stalwarts seem to think Trump's second term will be different, but in one tirade he showed it likely won't. He'll revert to the same behavior we've seen for decades but America embraced yet again. Fool me once, right? Instead of compassion, Trump exhibited his classic harshness with distasteful remarks that appeal to the worst of his base, but not the best of America. Over time, Act II will become as stale as the Act I, leaving the country with one painful case of buyer's remorse. Ray Marcano, a longtime journalist, is the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright fellow. He is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor.
