Outrage first, truth later

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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Lindsay Mast.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

In Minneapolis, a fatal shooting during an ICE operation has become a major flashpoint on immigration enforcement across the country.

WORLD’s Cal Thomas reflects on the consequences when public opinion races ahead of the facts.

SOUND: [RENEE GOOD SHOOTING SEQUENCE]

CAL THOMAS: In Minneapolis, a woman named Renee Good was shot and killed during an ICE operation.

SOUND: [GUNSHOTS “SHAME!”]

Within hours—and before the investigation had begun, let alone ended—city and state leaders were assigning blame.

MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR JACOB FREY: This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting unnecessary. They faulted federal agents, based largely on early video clips circulating online.

But early video rarely tells the whole story.

Authorities say Good was attempting to flee the scene in her vehicle. Federal officials say an agent was struck. Those facts matter—but they were largely absent from the first wave of public reaction.

AUDIO: How many more Rodney Kings does it have to be?

We've seen this pattern before.

AUDIO: Protesters of different ages and races demanding answers in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown at the hands of a policeman.

A video appears …

AUDIO: The videotape beating of Rodney King had left many Los Angeles residents outraged.

...conclusions harden, long before investigators have time to determine what actually happened.

A similar rush played out recently in Portland, Oregon. There, a Customs and Border Protection agent opened fire during a traffic stop involving suspects that even local authorities had to admit … reluctantly … were members of a violent Venezuelan gang.

PORTLAND, ORE., POLICE CHIEF BOB DAY: What I can say is there is an association with the two folks yesterday and TDA. I hesitated to even share this information initially because I’m very aware of the historic injustice of victim blaming …

The Department of Homeland Security said the suspects had “weaponized” their vehicle while trying to escape.

In both cases, the public debate moved faster than the facts.

Investigations take time. They always have. But we live in an age that rewards instant narrative—especially when those narratives serve political purposes.

That has consequences.

Federal officials say ICE and Border Patrol agents now face heightened threats during routine enforcement operations. Agents report being harassed, pelted with objects, and targeted for identification and doxxing.

This is not simply about immigration policy, it's about whether legitimate authority can function at all.

There are two ways to undermine the law: one is by breaking it outright, the other is by refusing to enforce it. The latter defined much of the previous administration’s approach to border security and it allowed violent criminals to enter and remain in the country.

That history helps explain why today’s enforcement actions are so contentious. But it does not excuse replacing due process with instant verdicts.

A society that treats law enforcement as the enemy should not be surprised when disorder follows.

In Minneapolis, Portland, and other cities, federal agents are attempting to arrest and deport people charged with serious crimes. Instead of allowing investigations to run their course, trained demonstrators rush to the streets—and officers become the targets.

C.S. Lewis said: “For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing—and on what sort of person you are.”

He was right.

But truth still exists. And if we abandon patience, evidence, and lawful process in favor of instant outrage, we should not be surprised when the rule of law itself becomes the casualty.

For WORLD, I’m Cal Thomas.

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