Rep. Scholten’s complete silence on ICE arrests of pro-Palestine activists and her weak statement regarding the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

The lack of action and silence by most Democratic lawmakers on the arrest and deportation of immigrants and foreign nationals who have spoken out against the US financed genocide in Gaza should tell us something about the Democratic Party.

For example, Rep. Hillary Scholten has said nothing about the numerous students and faculty members throughout the US that are being deported because of their stance against the US financed genocide in Gaza. I checked Scholten’s social media and her Congressional page, and it is nothing but silence. In addition, Rep. Scholten has not be interviewed by the news media regarding these ICE arrests of people who have spoken out in support of Palestine. 

Of course, I am not surprised by this, especially since Rep. Scholten has unconditionally supported Israel ever since she took office in January of 2023, something I have methodically documented. Additionally, Rep. Scholten supported the Biden Administration’s position on the pro-Palestine campus movement, which was to chastise them. Nearly one year ago I wrote an article entitled, It’s bad enough that Rep. Hillary Scholten has consistently voted to fund the Israeli genocide of Palestinians, now she wants to condemn students who are publicly opposing genocide. In that article I stated: 

Rep. Scholten, the so-called liberal, once again is demonstrating her allegiance to US Imperialism, to Zionism and her commitment to the repression of free speech. Notice that the Congresswoman provides no evidence of antisemitism. You just have to invoke it to make it a fact, just like Zionists preach. On top of the unsubstantiated claim of antisemitism, Rep. Scholten takes it one step further by partnering with a Republican from Indiana to introduce legislation that in reality is meant to further silence critics of Israel and US policies that support Israel. 

Now, in regards to the issue of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Rep. Scholten did release a statement, which you can see here on the right. The statement is weak and deeply problematic. First, as Scholten often does, she reminds us that she is an attorney and former member of the Department of Justice, like that really means anything when she supports criminalizing immigrants and genocide in Gaza. Second, Scholten only released this statement after the US Supreme Court ruling and did not condemn what happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia up until that point. Third, Scholten statement doesn’t center what happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, rather it is all about the Trump Administration. Fourth, Scholten ends the statement about how we need to stand united in defense of the rule of law. This is some shit, since the rule of law in the US has justified genocide, slavery, Jim Crow policies, mass deportations, mass incarceration, preventing people from having an abortion, criminalizing queer and trans people, and justifying an economic system that allows less than one percent of the population to expand their wealth while millions live in poverty.

Again, none of this is a surprise, since the Democratic Party has done virtually nothing to actually resist what the Trump Administration is currently doing, except make weak ass statements that urge us to defend the rule of law. 

The anarchist writer Peter Gelderloos, in a recent article wrote:

It is insanely delusional to believe that the Democrat[ic Party is capable of changing in a meaningful way, and it is insanely delusional to trust them. They are guilty of genocide, mass murder, mass incarceration, impoverishment, bloody wars, and oppressive politics. The system they uphold, the system they promise can be reformed if we just trust them one more time, has condemned this generation and the next one and the next one to a future of unimaginable suffering, danger, and poverty.

I want to end with what I wrote in a recent article from last week, which is part 3 of a 3 part series:

Over the past few months, especially at the large rallies – those rallies that will not save us – I have seen signs that say things like, “defend our democracy” or “protect the constitution.” As someone who identifies as an anarchist, I in no way want to defend democracy or protect the constitution, especially since the Constitution and the so-called democracy in the US has been built on genocide, slavery, white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy and ecological devastation. I don’t want to fight, to struggle, or to take risks, all for some 6th grade notion of what democracy is. I don’t want to pledge allegiance to some flag or give away my power to a government structure that was designed to benefit the wealthiest people in this country. As John Jay, a Founding Father and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, famously stated, “Those who own the country ought to govern it”. Our so-called democracy was designed the way that John Jay and the founders intended.