A few years ago, the federal government finally did something productive when it comes to enforcing immigration law by shutting down a corrupt slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa . Postville, Iowa was essentially colonized by a group of Hasidim after a meat-processing plant was purchased . The plant became a center of both financial corruption and a base for illegal immigration.

In 2008, it was raided. As Wikipedia reports:

The raid was the largest single raid of a workplace in U.S. history until that date, and resulted in nearly 400 arrests of immigrant workers with false identity papers who were charged with identity theft, document fraud, use of stolen social security numbers, and related offenses. Some 300 workers were convicted on document fraud charges within four days. The majority served a five-month prison sentence before being deported. Several employees and lower and middle level managers were indicted on charges of conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants, aggravated identity theft, and child labor violations among others and were convicted, serving prison sentences between 60 days and 41 months. Neither the owner, Aaron Rubashkin, nor his sons Sholom and Heshy Rubashkin, who were in charge of the management of Agriprocessors, were convicted of immigration and labor law violations. Financial irregularities brought to light by the raid and subsequent investigations led to a conviction of the plant's chief executive Sholom Rubashkin on bank fraud and related charges. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison, and his trial on immigration charges was canceled.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued his first commutation since taking office, freeing the former CEO of an Iowa kosher meatpacking company. Sholom Rubashkin, who ran the Iowa headquarters of a family business that was the country's largest kosher meat-processing company, was convicted of money laundering in 2009. His prosecution came after federal authorities staged a dramatic raid on the company's Iowa plant in 2008, arriving by helicopter and detaining 389 illegal immigrants, including children. [Trump commutes sentence of meatpacking exec whose plant was targeted in immigration raid, Fox News, December 21, 2017]

Keep in mind Rubashkin was let go on immigration violations, probably because they got him on financial charges. So what did our BASED immigration patriot president do? He let him go.Of course, the reason why this is happening is because Rubashkin has a powerful ethnic lobby behind him. Incredibly, the desire to free a corrupt slaughterhouse executive was "encouraged by bipartisan leaders from across the political spectrum, from Nancy Pelosi to Orrin Hatch" [ Watch: Rubashkin celebrates on car ride home from prison , Arutz Sheva, December 12, 2017].

And we get the ridiculous spectacle of this profiteering criminal quoting the Torah as if he is a holy man as he emerges from prison. No "neo-Nazi ultra far-right" website could even come close to a parody of this.

Sholom #Rubashkin all smiles as he leaves prison for freedom. This attitude is why so many love him. pic.twitter.com/ipv3gKjVmU — Avi (@516Perl) December 21, 2017

Forget what an objectively despicable act this is by President Trump. Consider the politics. The day after signing a controversial tax bill, President Trump commutes the sentence of a corrupt factory owner who hired illegal immigrants. And this is his first commuted sentence. This is the political equivalent of a hanging curve for the Democrats.

Instead of focusing on the wall, trade, infrastructure and other policies which could appeal to Rust Belt workers, President Trump has thrown away his political capital on passing a Beltway Right agenda pushed by the same people who never wanted him to win in the first place.

(Oh, and Paul Ryan wants "entitlement reform" next year.) [Ryan eyes push for "entitlement reform" in 2018, by Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, December 6, 2017]

This is why the Democrats look poised to take back all of Congress (and then impeach Trump), unless there are some changes, fast [Democrats 2018 advantage expands, by Jennifer Agiesta, CNN, December 20, 2017]