I forgot Criminal Minds made a border patrol episode

Criminal Minds is one of the most successful cop shows because it marries the true-crime bent that comes with the conceit of its characters being experts of “criminal profiling,” with the regular rootin tootin shootin cop show antics of drug busts and pretty white girls getting beat up.

It got old when someone had the idea that they should be culturally relevant and set an episode in a Texas border town. While our heroes (the ever patient, always noble FEDs, of course, because that’s the world this show lives in) were chasing down their migrant-killing villain, the writers made a scary, dangerous place out of a town they’ve never been to.

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I wanted to mention that I did think about adding a section about the current protests in Los Angeles, but since this was written before, it felt too big to only half cover. But if you watch all the way through, the connection is clear -- when we're taught that cops are never wrong, it can make villains out of anyone and everyone who wants to protest, or just exist as an immigrant or a brown person. And obviously: F*CK ICE.