While Ng’s ordeal is pretty harrowing, what has caught my attention is the reaction to Ng’s case by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff:
You know I hate to see any detainee die in prison. And I always believe if there is negligence or misconduct that ought to be punished. I also recognize that the population of any detention facility, whether it’s a state prison, federal prison, you’re going to get a certain number of deaths.
That’s it? An answer which can be translated as “it stinks but shit happens”? Chertoff’s reply is flippant and irresponsible, devoid of any emotion beyond a lame verbal shrugging of the shoulders.
This type of attitude is disturbing in someone holding such an important post as Chertoff; a little sympathy can go a long way.
I wonder if he would react similarly if:
- Border Patrol officers and northern Mexico residents engage in almost daily skirmishes
- Hackers infiltrate into FEMA’s voicemail system and make hundreds of calls to the Middle East
- Smugglers keep crossing the border even in the middle of tropical deluges
- Allegations of abuse surround raids on undocumented workers
Image- Fox News
Sources- City Room, Vivirlatino, Gothamist, Associated Press, The Latin Americanist,
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