Letters to the Editor for March 10

Concerns about how ICE is operating

I’m genuinely concerned by the way immigration and ICE operates and the impact it’s having on real people and families. I understand that having laws and borders is important, but the way the enforcement is carried out should still reflect basic human decency.

Way too often — and when I say “often,” I mean it happens every day — ICE’s actions are unacceptable because of how it’s affecting families and communities, like how young children are being abducted and taken away from family members, which can cause serious emotional and psychological damage.

According to medical and psychological experts, separating children from their parents can lead to anxiety, depression and long-term trauma. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics has spoken out about how harmful family separation can be to a child’s development.

When kids are constantly living in fear that their parents could be detained, it affects how they perform in school and how safe they feel in their own homes. On top of that, communities that fear immigration raids are less likely to report crimes or cooperate with law enforcement. This actually makes neighborhoods less safe, not more.

Public safety depends on trust. And fear destroys that trust. I’m not saying immigration laws shouldn’t exist. I’m saying enforcement should be focused on real threats, not hardworking families who are trying to build better lives. We can protect our borders while still protecting human dignity.

We should not let them live in fear, because they aren’t “animals” or “aliens.” They’re human beings that deserve the respect and the safety as all people get.

Immigrants should know that they’re in a country that should be focusing on real threats, and not on breaking families that work hard for a free life. Most immigrants shouldn’t be dependent on a green card to keep them safe, because we should know how to keep our country and others safe.

Lucian K. Navor

Honokaa