Evan Draim

ICE Attorney. Navy JAG. Chairman, Forsyth GOP. Inspired by my friend Charlie. Views are my own.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

I actually think you are closer to my position than you realize. I never articulated a version of American identity based on ethnicity (I explicitly said that, under the right conditions, I believe any individual can assimilate). But I do believe that being American requires more than simply arriving here. It requires adoption of certain values and principles. You can call it culture or “civic ideals,” but we both seem to agree that being American is more than simply physical presence on the landmass itself.

Our emphasis on individual liberty, for example, is extremely unique compared to the rest of the world. From that fundamental basis derives America’s relatively absolutist views on free speech and expression, our respect for women and sexual minorities, our free-enterprise capitalist economy. If you are coming from a society with a different fundamental emphasis, then you can still become American, but it may require a bit more of a learning curve. And, if you’re still surrounded entirely by people from your former society after arriving here, it makes it less likely you’ll make that transition.

Trump’s approval on immigration is higher than any other issue. His numbers have been dragged down across the board based on his personal popularity, not the immigration issue itself. Also, some of those disapproval figures are Republicans who believe he hasn’t gone far enough.

In terms of enforcement, ICE already “prioritizes” aliens with additional criminal records, on top of illegal presence. The majority of aliens arrested by ICE have either criminal convictions or pending charges. In Republican jurisdictions where localities are able to cooperate with ICE, most of our arrests are made by local law enforcement apprehending the alien for a collateral offense. Ironically, Democrat-run localities are making it harder for us to prioritize those cases because they won’t let their law enforcement work with us. I also think it’s a cop-out to say that “immigration laws should be enforced” but then exempt a large segment of people who violate those laws. If the laws should be enforced and you are found in the country illegally, then you should be put through removal proceedings, end of story. I practice immigration law every day and can assure you that, even under Trump, there’s a significant amount of due process that goes into getting a removal order.

I think this has been a good discussion, and I’m fine with my arguments being public. I also think that there’s something to be gained by sitting down one-on-one with people across the aisle. I think it’s easier to break down barriers face-to-face. I was friends with Charlie Kirk for fourteen years, and that was always his model. But I respect your preference on the subject.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

First, I reject the notion that ICE is anti-immigrant. We are simply enforcing the immigration laws that have been enacted by our elected representatives. This nation has been extraordinarily generous in terms of legal immigration, but in order for that system to function, we can’t have millions of people who refuse to follow the rules. I was raised by a grandmother who was a refugee and legal immigrant. And she despised illegal aliens more than anyone else. She expected everyone to follow the same rules that she did, and I think you’ll find a lot of legal immigrants feel that way.

Second, your argument divorcing migrants from the “beliefs or crimes found in their countries of origin” is a bold statement to make only two days after a Somali gang shot up a homecoming football game in Minneapolis. I’m on the Human Rights Violator team within ICE, and I see firsthand how recent migrants are bringing those same attitudes from their homelands into the United States and other western countries.

Based on my own experiences (supported by polling data from across the western world), they are not assimilating in the same manner as prior generations of immigrants. I believe that American values are strong enough to assimilate individuals from any background… but only if we enforce reasonable limits. There’s nothing magical about our soil; people don’t suddenly give up their old customs after stepping foot in the United States. It requires time and osmosis. We can’t assimilate people to our way of life if (1) they don’t respect our laws and (2) the foreign-born population outnumbers the American population in various enclaves.

We have to strike a balance between welcoming newcomers and preserving what makes our nation uniquely successful, compared to other cultures around the world. That balance is necessary so that legal immigrants like my grandmother enjoy the America that they came here for; they don’t want America to become a mirror image of what they left behind. I believe Trump is restoring that balance because his predecessors, Republican and Democrat, were so far toward the other extreme. Again, I work in this field every day. It’s hard to have a complete dialogue over X thread, so I’m happy to discuss the specifics with you in person over coffee or a beer. I’ll send my contact info in a DM.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

@SteveGuest Meanwhile, from the woman who wants to be Minnesota’s next governor…

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

Democrats like Klobuchar are just useful idiots for these people. As soon as the Islamists get what they want from Klobuchar, they’ll kick her to the curb and replace her with one of their own. Look at the Michigan Senate race between Abdul El-Sayed and Klobuchar-clone Haley Stevens.

[L A R R Y @LarryOConnor]

In this video Amy Klobucher, campaigning for Minnesota governor, speaks Somali, happily accepts an upside-down American flag, and brags about making it easier for Somalis in America to send money (much of it fraudulently acquired) to their home country.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

@proamericapol Democrats like Klobuchar are just useful idiots for these people. As soon as they get what they want from Klobuchar, they’ll kick her to the curb and replace her with one of their own. Which is exactly what happened in Michigan.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

These are the stakes in this election. If you think that Somali fraud was bad before, wait until the Democrats relax regulations on remittances.

[L A R R Y @LarryOConnor]

In this video Amy Klobucher, campaigning for Minnesota governor, speaks Somali, happily accepts an upside-down American flag, and brags about making it easier for Somalis in America to send money (much of it fraudulently acquired) to their home country.

[Gunther Eagleman™ @GuntherEagleman]

It’s crazy how many democrats are fleeing CA to live in red states.

There is a reason for it.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

Georgia has been growing and attracting people from all over the country precisely because of Republican policies:

✅ Lower taxes and regulation
✅ Fewer COVID rules in 2020
✅ Taking public safety seriously
✅ Resisting woke ideology

If you moved here from a blue state, we’re happy to have you. But you left that other state for a reason, and we don’t want you bringing those problems here.

Compared to everyone else, you should be *more* likely to vote Republican because you’ve seen firsthand how Democrat policies don’t work. Vote Republican to preserve the things that brought you to Georgia in the first place. Let’s not change this state to resemble the one you left.

#gapol #georgia #elections #republican

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

@JosephFordCotto Only in terms of immigration policy, yes. But that’s a big yes since immigration is probably the single most important issue.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

I’m proud that I’ve spent my career defending this nation, first as a Navy JAG officer and now as an ICE attorney. It’s a tragedy that thousands of Americans suffered violent crimes at the hands of illegal aliens who shouldn’t have been here to begin with. Because we now have a president who respects law enforcement, the national murder rate is the lowest it’s been in over a century.

My husband and I also appreciate that the president is deporting people from cultures that want us dead because of our same-sex relationship. Unfortunately the same cultures that target gay people often express virulent anti-semitism and have committed terrorism against Jewish communities. I know you’re currently a Democrat, but we welcome you into the Republican Party once you come to the realization that we are the ones defending your safety.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

@StatisticUrban Democrats lost *Massachusetts* in 2010, and Obama won re-election two years later. Doug Jones won *Alabama* in 2017, and then the seat was back in Republican hands within three years. You’re reading way too much into the significance of a single senate race.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

@mmpadellan

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

@brushmastery2

[Georgia Log Cabin @GeorgiaLogCabin]

Enough said. Vote Republican.

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

Get in, loser. We’re going voting!

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

“I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.” —former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

This is how Democrats responded to my recent Facebook post about door-knocking for @MikeCollinsGA with @TPAction. They have so thoroughly lost the argument on issues that they resort to personal attacks against young volunteers getting engaged in the political process.

It’s one thing to direct insults at candidates since they put themselves into the public square by running for office. But it completely crosses a line to go after private citizens in this way just because they have different politics than you.

The Democrats are not the party of tolerance. They only represent the left and the far-left. We cannot let people who hate the majority of Americans gain power in this country. That’s why it’s so important for conservatives, independents, and moderates to vote Republican this November.

#gapol #georgia #elections #republican

[Chase Edward @CSEdward77]

It was a good weekend meeting with friends, door knocking and taking care of business!

Remember knocking doors matter!

Talk to one another!

We are all a part of the same unified conservative coalition!

Congratulations to the new Georgia Young Republican Officers!

God bless!

[Evan Draim @evan_draim]

Only 34 days until midterm elections, and we are making each one count!

This evening, I joined my friends from @TPAction to knock doors for @MikeCollinsGA . It’s essential that we defeat Jon Ossoff and send Mike to the United States Senate.

I‘ve been a Navy JAG officer and now work as an attorney for ICE. I trust Mike to support the military and law enforcement personnel who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.

#gapol #georgia #forsythcountyga #elections

**All views expressed are my own. I am not speaking in a professional capacity on behalf of any federal agency.