Letters: Democrats would be wise to take a commonsense approach to immigration

Chicago Tribune

a day ago

It appears that the Democrats' only strategy for dealing with the immigration issue is to support protests. While there is nothing wrong with protests, they won't change the administration's policies. Therefore, if the Democrats want to do something constructive, they need to propose legislation, and not just a redo of what they proposed in 2024.
Instead of calling it 'comprehensive immigration reform,' it would make more sense, and likely have a better chance of acceptance by the Republican majorities in Congress, if they tackled one or two issues such as temporary visas for seasonal workers or how to handle the 'Dreamers' issue.
Immigration is a complicated issue, but some commonsense proposals should be acceptable to all parties.I and millions of other Americans are jubilantly happy to see President Donald Trump deporting immigrants in the country illegally, despite what the Tribune's opinion writers and editors think of his policies.
My great-grandparents all applied for citizenship to come here, as did so many other citizens now living here. Anyone here illegally should be thrown out for breaking our laws.I remember watching the hearings involving the Army and U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy on TV, now 71 years ago. The national audience saw Army lawyer Joseph Welch look at McCarthy and say those now iconic words, 'Have you no decency, sir?' That sentiment matched the mood of much of the nation, and it helped lead to the downfall of this cruel demagogue.
Today, we are experiencing another cruel demagogue who sits in the Oval Office of the White House. Executive order after executive order has attacked our large immigrant community with mass deportation; decimated the federal government, forcing thousands of employees to lose their jobs without cause; cut into needed health care; targeted the president's so-called enemies; knocked out our critically needed foreign aid; shaken down our universities and major law firms; shut down funding for much-needed research in medicine and many other fields; and threatened schools and libraries that seek to offer unbiased education. And much more.
The cruelty and inhumanity of these actions have no match in American history. Monumental damage has already been done, and much of the nation lives with the question: 'Who will be next?' It is time that we ask of all of the president's ardent supporters, our fellow citizens: 'Have you no decency, people?Finally. With its front-page story 'Letters tell children to leave the country' (July 20) the Tribune at long last puts the spotlight on immigration matters. Certainly, this heart-wrenching account deserves its prominent place in the paper. But what of the many other highly disturbing developments in the ever-expanding saga of President Donald Trump's pursuit to make good on his promise to deport millions of immigrants?
I've been scouring the recent issues of the Tribune but have found scant coverage of our country's seeming descent into what more and more resembles a fascist state, one that sanctions Gestapo-like raids to target immigrants at their workplaces, their schools and their places of worship or takes aim at law-abiding individuals as they just go about their daily lives.
Government claims that 'only criminals' will be or have been caught up in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement dragnet are countered by the facts. Statistics and unsettling reports uncovered by reputable news outlets tell a different story.
Where is the Tribune's megaphone about the Department of Homeland Security's abrupt ending of Temporary Protected Status for tens of thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans? These people have been given only 60 days to leave the U.S. Similarly, the Donald Trump administration has moved to revoke TPS for as many as 900,000 individuals from Haiti, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Cameroon and Nepal who are living here. Until now, successive administrations have regularly renewed such TPS status, deeming these neighbors worthy of prolonged help.
Or what of the recent memo from the acting director of Immigrations and Custom Enforcement, Todd Lyons, which directed officers to hold immigrants in ICE custody 'for the duration of their removal proceedings' and not be granted the bond hearings that previously had allowed most people without criminal records to be released on parole until final removal proceedings? This policy shift could significantly swell the numbers of those held in immigration detention facilities, detentions which could last for months or even years.
The billions of dollars just allocated in the bill passed by Congress will ensure more and more such facilities will be built, likely by private contractors. Consider the vile conditions reported at the recently built 'Alligator Alcatraz' in the Florida swamp.
We all need to raise our voices about such injustices. Shame on us for just going about our normal lives as these travesties are being committed in our name. And shame on the news media for abdicating their responsibility to amplify the truth.Thank you for the lengthy and enlightening article in the Sunday Tribune. The information in 'Letters tell children to leave the country' left me shaken and in tears that President Donald Trump is using his powers to authorize the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to send letters to children who have settled in the United States, many with family members, while waiting for their immigration cases to be heard.
The letters are threatening. The letters are written to instill fear. The letters do not provide information regarding due process, resources or representation. Children receiving these letters are left with the threat 'the federal government will find you.' Children and family members are left with the feeling that they will be separated, again.
Since the absolutely disastrous immigration policy of President Dwight Eisenhower, no other president has authorized and implemented such a disruptive, destructive, demonstrably illegal deportation program as we currently are experiencing in the U.S.
What led to the downfall of Eisenhower's plan to deport legal and invited people of Mexican heritage, many of them U.S. citizens, was the egregious racism. But only after countless lives were disrupted, factories lost employees and farmers lost workers who had been legally invited to this country.
What will it take to stop this illegal 'we don't need a warrant' deportation policy led by Trump? What will it take to allow children living in this country under presidentially given authorization to live freely, attend school without fear and become citizens of these United States? What will it take to stop this madness?Instead of anguishing about the existence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Tribune writers should take time to familiarize themselves with some of America's border and immigration laws.
Let's start with our Constitution. Article IV speaks of Congress' responsibility to protect our borders. In 2001, the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon were attacked by terrorists from within America. Thousands of Americans were killed. As a result, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was passed by a majority in the House. Ninety senators voted 'yea,' including Dick Durbin and Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois. And along with that bill was the birth of ICE.
Then there is the long-standing Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965. Let's not forget the Secure Fence Act of 2006. U.S. Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Chuck Schumer of New York voted 'yea' on that one.
If the protesters took time to familiarize themselves with immigration and border laws of our land, they may comprehend the existence of ICE.
If that doesn't work, protest Congress, which passes the laws. That same Congress has the power to repeal laws, including all of the above.
A redirect is necessary.I can't pretend the reasons we originally created public broadcasting still hold water today. PBS and NPR were born in a time when media access was limited, when a few networks controlled the narrative and when 'public interest' meant filling a gap that no one else could.
That gap doesn't exist anymore. Anyone with an internet connection now has access to a massive range of educational content, news and entertainment. YouTube can teach your kids math. Podcasts cover every niche you can think of. Emergency alerts come from phones, local TV, social media and apps, not just a radio tower in the middle of nowhere.
The idea that taxpayer money still needs to subsidize a system built for the 1970s isn't sacred; it's outdated. If PBS and NPR provide value, they should survive the same way everyone else does: with quality content, community support and trust. If they can't, maybe that says something.
Letting go of old institutions isn't cruel. It's recognizing that the world has moved on and the tools we need have changed.Each day, I think that things cannot get worse, yet they do. Law firms (even big, powerful ones) capitulate to President Donald Trump's bullying. Universities are forced to cancel curriculum and research. Media outlets (Paramount and Disney) cave under the intimidation tactics of this corrupt administration. Birthright citizenship is threatened. Medicaid is being cut, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may be denied and workers are deported without due process.
It sounds like a doomsday fictional novel, but sadly, these are facts. We, the average citizens, feel angry and helpless. After all, how can we stop Qatar from donating a $400 million jet to Trump? What strings are attached? What power do we possess to stop the submission of many to the capricious and vindictive will of our president?
Well, this is what I'm doing. I sent my donations to NPR, PBS, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Democratic National Committee. Let's march in protest rallies, write to our local newspapers and boycott the media outlets (and their sponsors) that have succumbed to the pressure.
Let's complain to our elected officials and donate our time and funds to worthy institutions. It is never acceptable to accept bullying, to quietly watch our democracy disintegrate. We must stand up, shout and fight these injustices.
What are your suggestions for nonviolent protest and positive action?I feel shame. I did what I could. I wrote emails, I called — even those who were not my senators. But the big, bad bill passed. Senators and representatives had to be coerced or threatened to vote for it. That is a very big sign that something is wrong. This bill will not decrease the national debt that so many said they were concerned about, and it will negatively impact health care for people and communities and create conditions for children to go hungry. This is a very unkind bill.
Why do I feel shame? My country, so vast and so rich, in people, places, talents and needs, has people in leadership who decided that there are many people and places that don't matter. That only those with loads of wealth and power matter. Because they have the power, they can decide what they want and take it. Poor people with no money will go without. Those with no power will have to just figure it out.
This country that cares so much for fetuses will not support health care and tests for the bodies that carry the fetus. If the fetus makes it through a birth, good luck with health care, food and housing, or making it through what used to be called childhood diseases and now will be childhood killers.
America used to be generous. Now it feels scary, distrustful, angry, cruel and small.
The small is in the thinking. With our wealth, vast in so many ways, we can't seem to come up with a truly fair tax system, which allows us to cover everyone with health care and cover basic needs. We cannot seem to figure out affordable housing and help with day care, both for children and adults. We are bewildered with taking action regarding energy and climate change, even though suggestions and answers have been available for over 50 years. As a nation, we have destroyed our trust and goodwill in the world. Trust is fragile and so difficult to earn.
Our economy will probably collapse with the very high level of debt, and then everyone will feel pain. The wheels are in motion and just keep rolling downhill, causing so much unnecessary destruction.
Going backward is painful. Most people prefer to move forward and want answers to the real problems in their lives.