At an Oct. 15 press conference announcing the fentanyl task force, Gov. Spencer Cox took a page from Donald Trump’s playbook. He took the highly emotional and timely topic of fentanyl overdoses ravaging our communities and used it to stoke fear and denounce federal immigration policy.
“Of the many ways the Biden administration’s border policies have failed, the fentanyl crisis is the most serious and dangerous,” he said.
I have no problem criticizing the current administration. I have criticized it many times. But I draw the line at misinformation, fear-mongering, and false Trumpian rhetoric in a desperate bid for approval.
There’s no denying that fentanyl was and remains a crisis in Utah. This year, through June, records were broken for the number of fentanyl seizures, and anything that helps keep our communities safe should be celebrated. But in this moment where Mr. Cox was able to showcase how he has addressed this burgeoning crisis during his two terms as governor and discuss what changes he will make moving forward, he I chose to stir up emotions.
Name the villains correctly: chemical manufacturers, cartels, loopholes in U.S. trade regulations, American citizens profiting from the drug trade.
A recent Reuters report on the sneaky shipping loopholes cartels exploit to smuggle chemicals through the U.S. into Mexico and back to the U.S. for sale is telling. Despite President Trump’s damning lies about immigration, most fentanyl in the United States “enters through legal ports of entry in vehicles driven by American citizens.” And U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that 85% of convicted smugglers are U.S. citizens.
Cartels and U.S. drug smugglers are clearly not the same as immigrants, and illegal drug smuggling is not the same as illegally crossing a border. So why is immigration policy such a hot topic? It is easier to stir up emotions than to focus on policy and facts. This is not the first time that immigrant communities have been vilified and used as political fodder to incite fear and distract from weak policies, with devastating results.
Following President Trump’s comments regarding Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, the town received at least 33 bomb threats. And nationally, hate crimes have increased by more than 80% since 2015, as individuals and white supremacist groups are emboldened by hateful rhetoric.
This is the real “crime wave” and it comes not from immigrants, but from people who have a vendetta against them. No one, regardless of their background, should live in fear that their family members may become the target of hateful violence. Accepting that would be reminiscent of the dystopias of “land of the free” like Germany in the 1940s.
Immigration is a complex and emotional topic. Perhaps you are personally affected by it, or perhaps it triggers a deep fear of change that lurks within many of us. When we talk about change, we often wonder if we will be able to thrive in the new world we find ourselves in. Perhaps it reflects the crazy advances in technology, social media, new faces on the street, fluctuating gas prices, and new disruptions. Language makes your heart beat faster. Breathe. Not everything that feels like a threat is a threat.
What is a threat?Using a specific group of people, such as neighbors, friends, or community members, as pawns in a political power grab. When politicians push emotional buttons instead of doing their job, which is working for the public good, we all lose.
(Elizabeth Hutchings) Elizabeth Hutchings is the communications director for the Alliance for a Better Utah, a government watchdog group and advocate for political transparency.
Elizabeth Hutchings is communications director for the Alliance for a Better Utah, a government watchdog group and advocate for political transparency. She is a passionate advocate for affordable housing, an avid mountain athlete, and a persistent advocate for public involvement in group chats.
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