Let's talk about this letter. 275 sheriffs signed a letter spreading false propaganda about immigration.

We can fairly say now that sheriffs are organizing. https://twitter.com/mhildreth/status/1380172972368011267

The instigation appears to be Sheriff Thomas Hodgson out of Bristol County, MA, the one who sent Stephen Miller fan mail and tried to investigate his own Catholic church for distributing Spanish-language pamphlets.

Hodgson was also found guilty by the MA Attorney General of mistreating ICE detainees, essentially trapping them in a room, spraying them with pepper spray, and unleashing dogs to ensure compliance. He thought it was funny. He tackled a man trying to call his lawyer.

One guard said, “When [the detainees] see K9 coming in, they’re going to love that.”

But the fact that 275 sheriffs joyfully signed this letter means that they are organizing and more similar than not.

Sheriffs as a whole are organizing across the country to push a right-wing, hateful agenda in their local counties. Because the federal government is now Democrat-led, they see the chance to foment rebellion on the local level.

They are enabling militias across the country to terrorize civil rights protestors. They are replicating the conditions for a new era of lynching. It is the same tactics.

While groups like FAIR etc are helping the sheriffs (and providing written advice and wording for letters etc), eliminating the hate groups isn't the root of the problem. The problem is the institution of the sheriff itself. It's not enough to vote in non-hate sheriffs.

These sheriffs are immensely popular in their counties. They are the definition of populism.

Imagine this -- these sheriffs control an extraordinary amount of resources. They police the streets and control jail conditions. They police schools and hospitals and libraries. They are supporting militias and sweeping laws allowing the open carry of weapons.

These are the people in control of the most vulnerable community members, the ones who are houseless, often in a mental health crisis or struggling with SUD, who are vulnerable because of their socio-economic status or race or both.

It's easy for journalists to ignore this because NYC doesn't have a powerful elected sheriff. But they are everywhere else. They are draining community resources and spreading false propaganda.

Worse of all, journalists are repeating their framing because they see sheriffs are neutral authorities. They are elected officials with no experience requirements. They do not know or study the law, they do not know or understand science or health.

People trust what they say about their authority and believe that because they are "constitutional officers" they are untouchable. This is just legally wrong.

So the sum is, sheriffs should not exist in modern society.

Don't forget that in the 1970s, many federal officials, people in charge of prisons, believed prisons would soon be outdated. Getting rid of institutions is a normal process. Sheriffs have invented a mythology in order to stay relevant.

These sheriffs were not hoodwinked into signing the letter, they did so because it suits their political agendas. It's an equal partnership.