Letters to the Editor: In the face of cruelty, a group of ICE detainees showed kindness

To the editor: I was moved to tears reading about the young man who turned 18 and graduated from Jordan High School only to be swept up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement the next day (“In bed 23 at Adelanto ICE detention center, a terrified teenager missed his mom,” July 10). The tears were for him, but also because of the kindness of his fellow detainees who took care of him.

Stuck in a hellhole for no good reason, these men looked out for this frightened young man. They shared their meager belongings and kept him entertained. How could anyone think these kinds of people should be deported? These men form the melting pot of what makes our country a place in which we all want to live.

This nightmare has to end soon.

Carol Spector, Ventura

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To the editor: I was so moved by columnist Gustavo Arellano’s story of the two Lorenzos (Arellano’s father and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo), one shot and left to bleed out on the street (“Two Lorenzos from Mexico. One fulfilled his American dream. ICE killed the other,” July 14), and Itzel Luna’s reporting on Wilber Urbina Garcia’s post-graduation party, courtesy of ICE. So much humanity in the telling, the cruelty of the present administration in the outcome.

Nine dead, little investigation and no charges brought. The best and the worst of us. What have we come to as a people?

Thank you for featuring these stories.

Thomas P. Rausch, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Arellano always manages to bring us his wonderful voice on important matters of the day. Two of his recent columns really hit home for me.

I come from an Italian immigrant family. At one point in time, Italians were treated very badly and were considered scum or worse. Arellano’s column about Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. was very appropriate (“The sad inevitability of Justice Alito’s birthright citizenship dissent,” July 1). I had been wondering how Justice Alito could hold the beliefs that he does having come from an immigrant family. Had his family been treated the way immigrants are today, he would most likely not be sitting where he is. Shame on him.

On Tuesday, Arellano again really brought to the forefront how ICE agents are taking matters into their own hands. I honestly wonder how they sleep at night knowing they have killed a human being who did nothing wrong except wanting a better life for his family. And it happened again on Monday in Maine. How can anyone believe this is okay?

Arellano is a terrific writer and thanks to him and a few other writers, I will continue to subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.

Diane Bortolazzo Hunn, Camarillo

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To the editor: Over at the FBI, they say, “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity” (although with the current leadership, who knows?) Over at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the motto seems to be “Incompetence, Cowardice, Evasion” (“ICE will continue traffic stops despite recent fatal shootings,” July 15).

Why is it that every day, ordinary peace officers are able to effectuate arrests of violent criminals while ICE can’t seem to check papers without shooting up cars? Could it be that they are untrained and lack accountability? Just asking.

Funny thing, MAGA followers like to assert their 2nd Amendment rights to protect themselves from an oppressive government. What does this look like?

Peter Scofield, Corona del Mar