We’re deporting people we previously welcomed
Floral Park, L.I.: For a little more than two years, from 2017 to 2020, I was a volunteer with Catholic Charities at 26 Federal Plaza. I worked with an interpreter to interview asylum seekers, taking down their basic information and passing it along to the volunteer lawyers who reviewed it and determined if the person met the legal requirements for gaining asylum. They would then refer them to a lawyer, or themselves represent the asylum seeker in some cases.
There was no question of arrest because at the time, NYC was an asylum city and ICE agents were not allowed in the building.
The people who came to us were not criminals. They were people who believed in the American dream. They wanted a better life for their children, just as my immigrant parents wanted it for their children. The U.S. Constitution guarantees trial by jury to anyone, whether citizen or non-citizen, who is accused of a crime. But if a person is afraid to appear for trial, they can not avail themselves of this protection.
My heart is broken by the nation we have become. When did the desire to live in a free country become a crime? Why are we suspicious of anyone who is different from us? When did the Constitution become a meaningless piece of paper? In the 35 years I spent teaching U.S. history in NYC, I never dreamed that my country would become a fascist state. Maureen Lonergan
Grim numbers
Brooklyn: I want to know just how many body bags were contracted for by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Trump to equip this shiny new immigrant prison Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades. Inquiring minds want to know! Stan Rosenson
It is what it sounds like
Brooklyn: The spatial segregation imposed by ICE detention centers reflects a logic of containment used during forced relocations, such as the Cherokee Removal Act or internment camps for Japanese-Americans during World War II. State-sanctioned violence was legitimized through narratives framing targeted populations as threats to societal stability. Trump-era policies represent a continuation of this historical pattern, adapting its mechanisms to contemporary contexts while maintaining its underlying colonial logic. To compare the far-right-leaning Trump base to Nazis may appear ahistorical. The narratives used by such groups appear anachronistic. Yet, if there is any good in remembering the horrors of crimes against humanity, it is prevention. To note a common proclivity for extremist factions to bureaucratize the “banality of evil” to inflict unimaginable horrors on scapegoated populations is not to de-particular the uniqueness of each atrocity, nor compare or equate them, but to recognize the utility in remembering for the purpose of “never again.” Elena Botts
Pick it up
Commack, L.I.: As I read your newspaper on Friday, the first three pages were anti-ICE and anti-police. Then on page 10, it was anti-Trump. Could you use the ink to be pro-veteran, pro-homeless and pro-mental health? I think more people would be helped out with the positives than the negatives. John Flanagan
Silenced satirist?
Whiting, N.J.: I have to wonder if the announced cancellation of “The Late Show” by CBS could have anything to do with its pending merger approval from Trump’s FCC. Stephen Colbert has mocked and derided Trump for years. CBS says the move is for financial reasons, and nothing is more financial than billion-dollar mergers. Would the president of the United States put his finger on the scale of such a trivial matter? Nah, I’m probably overthinking this. Bill McConnell
Sweeter treats
Manhattan: It’s funny how our government held a big press conference for National Ice Cream Day, with officials praising ice cream like it’s a health food. They don’t mention how the saturated fat and sugar fit into RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” plan. Instead, they celebrated removing oil-based dyes from food. Maybe the food dye lobby isn’t as generous with campaign contributions as dairy. As a concerned citizen, I can’t help but think about the cows — gentle mothers whose babies are taken so we can have their milk turned into ice cream and other dairy products. The good news? We don’t need to choose between enjoying ice cream and being kind to animals. There are countless plant-based ice cream options that are better for your health, for the planet and, best of all, they don’t harm animals. Nico Young
Dragged down
Merion Station, Pa.: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was wrong to listen to ultra-conservatives and withdraw Rear Admiral Michael Donnelly’s promotion to lead the 7th Fleet because Donnelly permitted drag shows on an aircraft carrier. During WWII, United Service Organizations drag performances were not uncommon. Millions were entertained by “This is the Army,” a Broadway show and movie with several scenes featuring servicemen in drag. Ronald Reagan, a leader of the Republican Party’s rightward turn to conservative values, starred in the film. Irving Berlin, the musical genius who gave us “God Bless America” and hundreds of other beloved tunes, composed the show’s music and lyrics. Bob Hope, one of America’s most beloved entertainers and the most famous USO celebrity, sometimes performed in drag. If three of the 250 people honored in Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes were OK with drag shows, so should Hegseth be. Paul L. Newman
Horrified
Bronx: “Rosemary’s Baby” was a terrific book and movie, which ends with Rosemary accepting her baby, who is the spawn of Satan himself. I was hoping that the author, Ira Levin, would have written a sequel so we could have found out how the devil’s son turned out. Now I think I’ve figured it out. Since Satan is so good at disguising himself, he is actually walking among us today. He goes by the name Zohran Mamdani. Be afraid, New York. Be very afraid. Marion Friedman
Zombie Dems
Port Orange, Fla.: What a shame that Andrew Cuomo, who outspent the primary winner by at least four to one, decides to run as an independent. He should run along with Curtis Sliwa as a Republican, because that was what his reign as governor was all about. Shame on you, Andrew! This is why the current Democratic Party is a failure. God forbid anyone parrots the ideas of Bernie Sanders and the few progressive Democrats who are left. If the Democrats would have run Donald Duck instead of Hillary Clinton, they would have defeated Trump. Second time around they chose another phony like Joe Biden and allowed Trump 2.0 — on steroids! Philip A Farruggio
They took too much
Manhattan: To Voicer Demes Poulos: I appreciate your attempt to provide the edifying opinion that the UN General Assembly’s Resolution 181 legitimized the state of Israel, although the proposal was never implemented due to its rejection by the Palestinians (and that the Zionist polity was self-declared). Theoretically, inasmuch as the Zionists never intended to fulfill the obligations under partition, the legitimacy of the Jewish state is doubtful. However, given the holding about 20 years ago by the World Court (i.e. the ICJ) generally affirming the League of Nation’s Palestine mandate and the UN’s partition plan, as well as the current historical context, what seems necessary is bold action by the General Assembly to restore mandatory authority over the territory assigned to the Palestinians to the UN as a whole until they can self-govern — a concession to paternalism over seeing another picture of a toddler with a bullet hole in his head. Michele P. Brown
Act on affordability
Fresh Meadows: Gov. Hochul’s mantra has been affordability for New Yorkers, as it should be. That’s why she should make a priority of signing the repeal of the 100-foot rule that would save us ratepayers a collective $200 million annually on our gas bills. The governor can’t control most rising prices, like the ones caused by Trump’s tariffs or the fact that the recent GOP budget reconciliation has broken our health care system, making it more expensive for everyone even though individual Medicaid cuts aren’t scheduled to kick in until after the midterm elections. But preventing gas companies from building unnecessary pipelines and billing us for them is something she can and must do. Sara Rebecca Storch
