A Feb. 4 letter energetically supported the crackdown on undocumented immigrants (“Immigration law exists to be enforced”). No one argues that immigrants should be deported if they commit violent crime. But the problem is that minimally trained ICE agents and Border Patrol officers, who have little or no experience with urban law enforcement and crowd control, are sweeping up far too many people — many of them brown and Black, and roughing up nonviolent protesters exercising their constitutional rights.

No doubt former President Joe Biden did doom his reelection chances by failing to stem the massive flow of border incursions. Sadly, two years ago, when a bipartisan group of legislators proposed stricter border crossing prohibitions, coupled with a path to citizenship for many immigrants, President Donald Trump told congressional Republicans that that would weaken his chances to win reelection. Naturally, they bowed the knee, genuflected and agreed with the man many of them feared more than respected.

It’s worth noting that immigrants, both legal and those awaiting processing, commit violent crimes at a lower rate than the rest of us, according to the FBI. So much for the hateful rhetoric from Trump and his woefully unqualified Department of Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem. Meanwhile, agriculture lobbyists are pleading with the White House not to rush deportations of migrant farm workers.

The flood of egregious statements and diktats from the White House would not have happened before Fox News, its imitators and social media — masking as news — hadn’t shredded our political information culture.

Dave Griffiths
Mechanic Falls