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What if we stopped playing politics with tragedy and focused on facts?

8 53
01.02.2026

In the wake of the two fatal shootings in Minneapolis in January, politicians on both sides of the aisle have been jockeying for the winning response on how Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security are doing their job. 

Members of the Trump administration have decided to smear the victims as "domestic terrorists" or claim without basis that they wanted to "massacre law enforcement." Meanwhile, Democrats and their supporters have tried to portray the two victims as perfect. 

The sharp disagreement about not just the facts of the matter but also the moral judgments along partisan lines reveal something about our political climate.

In response to these difficult, nuanced situations, Americans and our country's leaders are falling back on the crutch of partisan talking points, to the benefit of political narratives for one side or the other. Americans need to approach these matters with more scrutiny and not allow politicians to sway their moral views of people.

Opponents of the president’s approach to immigration have had the reflex to treat these two individuals as martyrs, as nothing more than peaceful........

© USA TODAY