I hope Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin is on a good sleep schedule because her job has to be exhausting. Operating as the agency's spokesperson, she's continually having to debunk various hoaxes surrounding immigration enforcement actions, and the further into President Donald Trump's term we get, the more absurd they become.
On Wednesday, another one arose, this time pushed by a Los Angeles Times reporter named Brittny Mejia (yes, that's how she spells it). In her report, she claimed that agents "drove off" with the daughter of an arrestee, insinuating they had kidnapped her. Naturally, her headline included none of the more important parts of the interaction.
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Maria Avalos, the child’s grandmother, said the agents “shouldn’t have driven off” with her granddaughter.
— Brittny Mejia (@brittny_mejia) November 5, 2025
“When they got into the car, taking my granddaughter, I said, ‘Why are they taking her, are they really ICE, are they kidnapping her or what?’” she said.
McLaughlin responded with more context, pointing out that the man had exited his vehicle with a hammer and started throwing rocks at ICE agents. He was also in possession of a loaded stolen firearm. While all this was happening, the man's daughter was left unattended in the car.
Oh ffs sake, Brittny.
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) November 6, 2025
This U.S. citizen left his own child unattended in a car and proceeded to attack law enforcement as the were conducting an operation—he exited his car wielding a hammer and threw rocks at law enforcement as he abandoned his child. He was arrested for… https://t.co/uzVqwLCJAn
Yeah that’s literal kidnapping by the Gestapo
— Christian Haesemeyer (@CHaesemeyer) November 5, 2025
I want those on the left who immediately started claiming this was like the "Gestapo" to think critically for a moment, perhaps even mustering an ounce of intellectual honesty. If an assailant turns violent as this man did, what else are agents supposed to do except remove the child from the dangerous situation? Where were they supposed to leave her alone in the car after arresting the father? Should they have handed her over to whatever random person walked up and claimed to be a family member? And had they done that, would journalists and their anti-ICE cohorts not have lost their minds in response?
In the United States, when someone is arrested, if their child is present, that child is taken into custody and reunited with another legal guardian. That's not controversial. In fact, it's the only logical way to handle such a situation; otherwise, you risk harm to the child or the child falling into the hands of someone who isn't a parent or viable family member.
The ridiculous, contradictory expectations are the point, though. None of these press-driven narratives are about actual concern over procedures. They are about boxing in ICE to the point where all enforcement actions are deemed unacceptable. The agents did nothing wrong in this case, and continuing to target them with smears and falsehoods is going to get someone killed.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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