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Flashback: Obama-Era Border Patrol Engaged Migrant Group with Chemical Deterrent

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As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, there was a contentious clash Sunday between Border Patrol officers and illegal migrants who stormed the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Of course, if you’ve heard about this development from the liberal media or far leftists, it’s being painted as some sort of blemish on President Donald Trump. For many on the left, it’s proof positive that Trump is some sort of racist dictator hellbent on making life miserable for all migrants.

Here’s ABC News posting of two videos trying to drum up sympathy for the migrants by showing them being hit by and then fleeing from tear gas.

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Here is Antonio Arrelanos, the communications director of Jolt Texas, an activist group “building a movement of Latinos across Texas,” demanding compassion for the mob that tried to physically overcome Border Patrol officers.

And here are a couple of Twitter users who have wholeheartedly embraced that leftist narrative.

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As is readily apparent, the outrage has been palpable.

What I’d like ask each and every one of these people is, where was this outrage when the Border Patrol under former President Barack Obama used chemical deterrents at the same exact port back in 2013?

As the San Diego Union-Tribune reported at the time, Obama’s border patrol officers “used pepper spray and other means” to fight back aggressive migrants nearly five years ago to the date of the San Ysidro controversy.

Here’s how the Union-Tribune described the Nov. 24, 2013, confrontation:

“The incident occurred about a quarter-mile west of the San Ysidro border crossing in the Tijuana River channel. No one was seriously injured, no shots were fired and no arrests were made, said Mary Beth Caston, a Border Patrol spokeswoman.

“The group first approached a lone agent stationed about 1/8 of a mile north of the border. They ignored his commands to stop, so he fired pepper balls to try to stop them and protect himself, Caston said.

“As the crowd kept advancing and throwing rocks and bottles, she said, more agents came to the scene and used other ‘intermediate use-of-force devices’ to push back the group. The agents also contacted Mexican law enforcement.”

So clearly, the migrants in 2013 reportedly threw rocks and other projectiles at the officers, before the officers responded with peppery spray, tear gas pellets and “intermediate use-of-force devices.” Gee, I wonder why that sounds so awfully familiar?

But back in 2013 the media was awfully quiet in regards to the Obama administration, save for some reporting on the event in and of itself.

There was no public outcry over how inhumanely Obama was treating the women and children trying to cross the border. There were no outcries over Obama making a “mockery of our values” or “crimes against humanity.” There were no videos trying to drum up sympathy for the 2013 migrants.

Look, it’s hardly a secret that the media loves to gush over all things Obama, but to even the most neutral of observers, this glaring double standard should be appalling, especially since it’s credibly reported that the migrants in the most recent clash endangered the most vulnerable to make their point.

There is virtually no discernible difference between the 2013 and 2018 San Ysidro clashes, save for the presidential administration in place at the time.

This may not necessarily be the “fake news” that Trump is always railing against, but it’s still a stain on journalistic integrity and neutrality.

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Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.
Birthplace
Hawaii
Education
Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, Korean
Topics of Expertise
Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech




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