Perhaps it was in sarcasm that Matt Drudge over the weekend heralded South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s “big accomplishment that he never mentions.” The “big accomplishment” could only be realistically described as pointless.
The Drudge Report linked to an NBC News report that told the sticky-sweet story of illegal immigrants in Buttigieg’s town who, for mostly humdrum reasons, wanted ID cards.
“The result was an innovative, first-of-its-kind governmentally endorsed, privately run program — one Buttigieg could tout on the presidential primary campaign trail where Latinos are a key voting group,” gushed NBC. “But he never does.”
In 2017, a nonprofit organization in South Bend called La Casa de Amistad began issuing IDs to illegal immigrants, with information like their birth date, address, and physical identifiers. The card was recognized by the city government as a formal ID, allowing illegal immigrants access to libraries and making it easier for them to sign up for home utilities.
It otherwise did nothing. It wasn’t a license to drive, and it didn’t earn anyone the right to vote, though it certainly functioned as a way to get the welfare that Buttigieg pretends illegal immigrants don’t receive.
NBC offered no criticism of the program, and yet Buttigieg himself didn’t seem to want to talk about it when they brought it up. “Well, it’s certainly something we’re proud of,” he said in the report. “I could probably talk about it more.”
What’s the opposite of “rousing endorsement”?
With the new ID, an illegal immigrant pulled over for driving in South Bend could flash his new I.D., and he would still go to jail for driving without a license. In theory, it would offer him no protections from federal authorities.
He could go check out a book at the library without fear of being deported. And … that’s about it.
Maybe that’s why Buttigieg “never mentions” his “big accomplishment.” It was nothing.
