To the editor:
I am writing to document and affirm that the extreme and injurious activities of the Department of Homeland Security and field agents (aka ICE) are both Un-American and Illegal and should be disturbing to all Americans, regardless of your views on immigration in the USA.
Ask any school-aged child about what it means to be an American, and they will likely hit on the main themes of freedom and liberty, echoing the words of our nation-building forefathers, who proclaimed in their Declaration of Independence that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are “unalienable rights.”
However, we daily witness untrained and unchecked ICE agents who are “following orders” by arresting, injuring and abducting people under a vague “administrative warrant,” which undermines the rules of law designed to preserve our liberty and pursuit of happiness. Sadly, although federal judges have stated that they may not achieve anonymity by covering their faces and lacking identification, they continue to do so, with no actions from their leaders in the capital, including the president, to whom they ultimately report. More alarming is their disregard for the general public, who dare to record their illegal and brutal interactions, and who are attacked, sprayed with strong irritants and even murdered. What I and so many Americans find disturbing is this departure from “normal” law enforcement, people with badges, name tags and a face legally enforcing the laws of the nation.
In fact, it is the cruelty of their actions that is most concerning to me and many others. In addition to the use of deadly force on two citizens, there are numerous examples of general disrespect, mishandling and purposeful injuring of both immigrants and US citizens. These include ripping people from vehicles, slamming them to the ground and dragging them across pavement to their vehicles. They do not allow for mistaken identification, using an “arrest now and ask questions later,” approach. U.S. citizens have been mistakenly arrested, sometimes dragged from their homes partially clothed, and then, if lucky, released to the sub-zero degree streets far from home without warm clothing. These are but a few examples of the brutal behavior that is simply unnecessary. Although there are certainly exceptions, law enforcement agents are not supposed to inflict punishment on those they arrest; and there are well-known cases where those who do so are prosecuted. Treating all people with decency and respect is a fundamental tenet of being American, we all want and deserve to be presumed innocent and treated fairly.
It is sad to me that some of my fellow Americans applaud this “the ends justify the means,” approach, especially since they would not expect to be treated this way under any circumstances. The fact that the sitting President won 49.8% of the votes in 2024 does not give him, or anyone, a “mandate” to brutalize citizens or immigrants.
To all those readers who still believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I urge you to act by supporting candidates who espouse reform, joining in peaceful demonstrations, bearing witness to these actions, or contacting your legislators to make your opinion known.
Christian Stumpf
Pitman Road
