To the editor:

On July 4, 2026 we might be 250 years old. In 1814, John Adams, the sixth President of the United States wrote, “Remember. Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide.” What do you plan to do to celebrate?

For starters, Minneapolis has been again selected as a lightning rod for injustice. How do you get over 2,000 ICE agents to come to Minnesota? You don’t. DHS reassigned 14,500 government employees from other agencies and gave them minimal training. Also 8,500 state or local police. The CATO Institute reported ICE or ERO Operations “reassigned” almost two-thirds or almost 6,000 of AFT, half of federal Drug Enforcement, one fifth of U.S. Marshals and the FBI and 90% of Homeland Security employees. ICE uses restricted data from the IRS, US Post Office, and your digital footprint of locations, purchases and family and friends.

Trump’s Executive Order 14159 titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” should use the Orwellian translation to read “Attacking the American People through Invasion for Power and Profit”. Homeland Insecurity was directed by Trump to focus on non-criminal violations of immigration law and suspend investigations into human trafficking, child exploitation, cybercrime, weapons export control, intellectual property theft, drugs and terrorism to focus on arresting immigrants. Yes. Don’t believe me. Look it up yourself.

While ICE arrests folks with parking tickets, real criminals have a tremendous opportunity to engage in human trafficking, drugs, terrorist plots and stealing your bank account. To demonize and sow chaos is not new. Add encouraging and possibly profiting from serious criminal conduct. Real criminals have been given a green card to steal the USA while Maga Elite party in the bunker under Mara Lago.

Act we must in a peaceful, non-violent manner. This requires courage and best if done with a lot of people and a strong press. To those who are cheering on this round up… This extralegal effort to save the country by destroying it may soon come to a neighborhood near you. Trump is the reason, treason is in season.

William Richards

Walnut Grove