As much as they would like to avoid it, events keep conspiring to force the Republican presidential candidates to discuss immigration. First, Kate Steinle’s murder in San Francisco by an illegal alien who’d been released by authorities vindicated the general point (if not the crude delivery) of Donald Trump’s comments on uncontrolled immigration made just a few days earlier. He’s been riding the issue, and a general grassroots disgust with the GOP “leadership,” to a significant lead in the polls.
Now, shortly before next week’s inaugural GOP debate in Cleveland, a similar case – in Cleveland’s own suburbs. On Monday, an illegal alien murdered a woman in her home, then tried to rape a 14-year-old, then shot a woman out walking with her kids, then fired at police when they came to arrest him.
And he wasn’t just any illegal alien, but one the federal authorities specifically decided not to take into custody and deport. Local cops had arrested him earlier this month, checked with the feds, were told he was, in fact, illegal but that they should let him go, presumably because he wasn’t on Obama’s priority list, not having been convicted of raping or murdering anyone yet.
To top it off, the murdered woman, Peggy Kostelnik, was the assistant to the Republican mayor of a nearby town.
The moderators of next week’s debate will be Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace; here’s hoping one (or more) of them will ask – and follow up on – some real questions on immigration policy.
The second debate will be September 16 at the Reagan Library in California – by then, there should be even more crimes committed by aliens the government should have deported.