Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant, anti-Constitution friends

To the editor: I find it utterly terrifying but not surprising that Donald Trump has allied himself with the infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., who never allows the constitutional protection against unlawful search and seizure to get in his way and dresses jail inmates in pink underwear for his own amusement. (“Elite Republicans tried to ignore them. Now they’re shaping Donald Trump’s immigration policy,” July 4)

I realize that incarceration is for punishment, but that does not make the inmates his personal playthings. I can only imagine the sort of practices he would encourage in the already torture-inclined Trump. For two men who cling so fervently to the 2nd Amendment, they seem to have an unhealthy disregard for the others.

Regardless of their stand on illegal immigration, it is their methods that frighten me. Stop and search (or deport or herd into a neighborhood where you can monitor) first, and ask questions later. And when it comes to the president’s birthplace, never let facts get in the way of your fiercely held beliefs.

They both give the “bully pulpit” a whole new meaning.

Elise Power, Garden Grove

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To the editor: The estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, who embody a sense of entitlement and demand to stay and become citizens, have polarized our country like never before. I have a suggestion for how to decide their fate in a fair and nonpolitical manner.

We should hold an election with the following yes-or-no questions: Should the illegal immigrants be offered amnesty (if they have not broken any other laws)? If yes, should they be offered a path to citizenship?

However, the only citizens allowed to vote in this election should be those who waited in their native countries for a period of five or more years for permission to come here legally. I believe they would be in the best position to determine the fate of those who sneaked across the border or overstayed their visas.

Then Congress should abide by their collective decision and make it so.

Jan MacMichael, South Pasadena

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To the editor: Trump no longer is a clown or an entertainer. He is a deadly serious politician who has a real chance of becoming president.

Yet you and other newspapers give him gobs of free publicity that can only endanger our futures. He has a point of view and is one candidate for one office, and as such he should be given only a fraction of the space and time available in the media. Instead, we see his face and read or hear his words in a volume that defies reason.

Patricia Anderson, Los Angeles

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