Democrats have taken their self-righteous anti-Trump virtue signaling to a whole new level in response to the administration’s “zero tolerance” border enforcement policy, which resulted in immigrant children being temporarily separated from their parents after illegally crossing the border.
A prime example of such behavior occurred on Friday, when a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate traveled from his home state of Maine to Texas for a publicity stunt — and ended up under arrest.
He was charged with trespassing after he refused to leave a facility for the children of illegal immigrants.
Captured on tape
A local journalist from Texas filmed the arrest as it happened with his cellphone, which was then posted to social media to garner mass attention.
Take a look:
BREAKING: U.S. Senate candidate Zak Ringelstein of Yarmouth, Maine was arrested outside a facility in McAllen, Texas while attempting to deliver water, food, blankets, books and toys to children being held at the border in detention center. pic.twitter.com/2CjskJlcMl
— Antonio Arellano (@AntonioArellano) June 22, 2018
According to the Portland Press Herald, Zak Ringelstein — who is challenging left-leaning independent Maine Sen. Angus King for the seat in the midterm election — traveled down to McAllen, TX to deliver supplies to the children being temporarily held.
But those supplies — which included food, water, blankets, books and toys — were not requested or needed, nor were agents at the facility legally permitted to accept the unofficial and unchecked offer of supplies. Instead, they should have been delivered to an approved charitable organization.
Ringelstein was asked repeatedly by authorities to leave the premises, but he refused, and instead, forced them to place him under arrest and take him to jail.
“I refuse, I refuse, I refuse to stand by as you imprison children and bring more children by the dozens into this facility,” Ringelstein said. “It is wrong.”
Publicity stunt
The candidate was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass, which could result in six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. He was released on Saturday morning on $1,000 bond.
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“Zak is now a political prisoner of the Trump regime,” Ringelstein’s campaign tweeted with a heavy dose of hyperbole on Friday, as if being arrested for trespassing has anything to do with the Trump administration.
But this was nothing more than a publicity stunt on the part of Ringelstein, who cares more about the attention he garnered for his campaign than the plight of the children being temporarily held in the facility.