One of the problems I have with the immigration bureaucracy within the federal government, other than the current administration’s tendency to sue state and local officials for enforcing laws it should be administering, is its misplaced priorities. A perfect illustration of this problem can be found in the recent discovery that ICE has shut down over 70 different websites which the federal government accuses of selling counterfeit goods or engaging in music piracy.
Now, while the issue of copyright infringement is of extreme importance, I don’t think that an agency tasked with enforcing over 400 statutes, and responsible for ensuring the security of our nation’s vast, lightly or unguarded borders, should be diverting resources to investigations of illegal file-sharing sites. Unfortunately, these sorts of investigations have only increased in the past few years, which have seen more threats emerge both from foreign and domestic sources seeking to exploit our lax immigration enforcement policies. In fact, the ICE hierarchy is so concerned about this issue that they have agents policing the sale of unauthorized NFL apparel.
It is absurd to think that while we have entire communities of potential recruits for Al-Shabab and paramilitary prison gangs filled with illegal aliens, the most pressing issue for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and by extension, the Department of Homeland Security, is the sale of counterfeit merchandise and illegal downloading of music. Protecting the integrity of this nation’s borders is too vital to be merely a part-time assignment.
Recent Comments