Commander: Respect for law and order would prevent a repeat

Like veterans, elected officials take oaths to support the U.S. Constitution. Over the course of 250 years, Americans have embraced the principals of law and order embedded in the framework of the Constitution.

The American Legion Department of Minnesota unequivocally supports law and order. “To maintain law and order” is in the third line of the American Legion Preamble. Today, I call on our elected officials to provide law enforcement to keep both immigration agents and protesters and all of our citizens safe. We do not want to see a repeat of what happened Jan. 7 in Minneapolis.

The legal standard for judging the use of lethal force under the Fourth Amendment is the totality of the circumstances — the legal standard since 1937. It will allow the courts to consider the fact there was purposeful withholding of local law enforcement, along with other facts.

To that, we want to note that in cities where the mayors provided law enforcement to keep protesters and federal agents both safe, the immigration enforcement went far more orderly and safely. Immigration enforcement is something that commonly happens in countries around the globe and has happened in the United States starting in 1891, with the creation of the first immigration laws and the federal Office of Immigration.

What’s different now is politicians have made immigration a wedge issue, trying to divide Americans yet again in their quests for power. When did the definition of “illegal” change? We must obey the laws that are on the books to maintain peace and an orderly society. And now, a Minneapolis mother and wife has died.

The Minnesota American Legion calls on our leaders to end this irrational political ploy of being against law and order and, instead, do what’s right. Cooperate with law enforcement agencies to keep protesters, immigration agents and citizens of our great country safe, just as they surely would if their own political party’s national convention were in town.

Federal agents are tasked with carrying out the law, and in doing so, they already accept significant personal risk. They are not present to provoke conflict, and they should not be subjected to violence by the very communities they are sworn to protect. Upholding the law requires allowing officers to perform their duties safely and without obstruction.

Linda Dvorak is the commander of the The American Legion Department of Minnesota.