There comes a time in any nation’s story when the people need reminding of who stands between order and chaos. That time, it seems, has arrived.
American Sovereignty, a conservative nonprofit dedicated to border security and community safety, will launch a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign this weekend with a straightforward mission: to remind Americans that the men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are not faceless bureaucrats, but neighbors, parents, coaches, and veterans doing dangerous work to keep communities safe.
The two advertisement spots, titled “Patriots” and “Criminals,” will run nationally with concentrated focus on the District of Columbia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Georgia. The timing is no accident. These ads arrive as attacks on federal immigration agents have spiked nationwide, and as organized agitators have increasingly targeted ICE operations with violent demonstrations.
“They’re friends and neighbors. Sons, fathers. They’re Little League coaches and veterans. They’re people who love this country,” the narrator states in the “Patriots” spot, as images of everyday American life fill the screen. Communities gathering, veterans walking together, children carrying flags, church steeples rising against the sky.
The message cuts through the noise with clarity: these are not storm troopers. These are Americans doing a job that most would not have the courage to do themselves.
“These are Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. They are removing violent criminals from our streets and neighborhoods. It’s dangerous and difficult work, but ICE has one mission: to make America a safer place to live,” the ad continues. “And that’s what they’re doing. This is law enforcement. This is ICE.”
While “Patriots” strikes an uplifting chord, “Criminals” approaches from harder ground. The ad displays mugshots of captured illegal immigrant criminals, each labeled with their most serious convictions. The message is blunt: Immigration and Customs Enforcement has removed thousands of criminal illegal aliens from American soil.
The campaign arrives at a moment when ICE Executive Assistant Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations Marcos Charles has been providing details about incidents that underscore the stakes involved, including a case involving a five-year-old boy in Minnesota. Charles has also condemned the behavior of agitators who stormed a church in St. Paul, a troubling escalation in tactics by those who oppose immigration enforcement.
The broader context matters here. Recent media analysis has shown overwhelmingly negative coverage of ICE operations, even in cases involving the removal of dangerous criminals. When law enforcement becomes the villain in the public narrative, something fundamental has gone wrong in the national conversation.
The mother of an officer killed by an illegal migrant recently criticized Minnesota leaders for what she called their “warped view” of police, a sentiment that resonates far beyond one state’s borders. When those who enforce the law become targets for simply doing their jobs, when their families face harassment and their safety is threatened by organized mobs, a line has been crossed.
American Sovereignty’s campaign seeks to redraw that line. The organization is betting that most Americans, when reminded of the human faces behind the badges, will stand with those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the homeland.
The question now is whether the message will break through, or whether the organized opposition to immigration enforcement has already hardened hearts beyond reach. The answer will tell us much about where this country stands, and where it is headed.
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