Readers sound off on ICE raids, rules for protest and lethal orders

This new America denies asylum to the innocent

Bradford, Ontario: American Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is approaching. Religious people will gather in their places of worship, but this year it will be different. US immigration police intend to invade places where people gather to pray and socialize and harass clergy, as happened in Chicago.

Nothing like this has happened in almost 100 years in America. Churches were attacked by the KKK and white riots throughout the South. The Alabama massacres, the disappearances of civil rights workers, the beatings and murders of progressives across America come to mind as innocent people doing what average Americans do are brought to justice in what should be neutral territory. Places of worship should be protectorates where authorities cannot force entry. Children are rounded up while their parents are arrested and possibly deported. How can a civilized society allow this? Is America becoming uncivilized? Imagine that these Hispanics and non-whites, including many of your neighbors, were Jews under attack by the Nazi threat. Would you protect them, America? Or would you do like many Germans: sit back, wait and hope for your own selfish interests. What is happening is real, and if you open your eyes, you will realize that these agents might one day come for you! Social cleansing is happening all over the world. When authoritarian regimes exercise their power, they do so for “national interests and your protection.” Do you feel protected? Or threatened? Certainly not women and children, but they are the ones suffering under the threat and actions of your so-called protectors.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. » You know where that comes from, don’t you? Steven Kaszab

Limited scope

Rocky Point, LI: The poem written for the Statue of Liberty was written to raise money for the pedestal. The 14th Amendment was added after the Civil War to grant citizenship to former black slaves and their children, as well as indentured servants, primarily of Irish descent – ​​nothing more. Changing ideas from what they started with poses problems. Al Glass

Police objective

Jamaica: Zohran Mamdani told NY1 News that the NYPD is assisting ICE in its raids. No, that’s not the case. They do their job. Maybe Mamdani should look at the laws. The NYPD does not get involved in civil cases, but yes, by law they do in criminal cases. Criminal cases in raids include objects thrown at NYPD officers, pushing officers, blocking sidewalks, crosswalks, bridges, sidewalks and store entrances. He says this will not be tolerated under his administration. Will he not respect the law? Yvonne Scibelli

Serve and protect

Manhattan: Last Saturday, hundreds of New York bystanders and organized rapid response teams prevented a massive ICE raid downtown by trapping federal agents in a parking lot, a striking example of people power in the face of authoritarian excesses. The cowardly ICE agents, looking out the windows and overwhelmed, called the New York police, allowing ICE to flee to New Jersey. This was not the vision desired by Kristi Noem, head of the Department of Homeland Security. She and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have remained silent about the embarrassing episode. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch quickly denounced the federal government’s chaotic presence, calling it dangerous for New Yorkers and the NYPD. Mamdani was smart in welcoming Tisch to her new administration, and I’m grateful she took the job. However, let’s be clear: The NYPD must protect New Yorkers from ICE, not ICE from New Yorkers with pepper spray and arrests. Gabrielle R. Shatan

Sacred space

Yonkers: I want to congratulate you on your inspiring article on the 170th anniversary of the Brooklyn church, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Red Hook. It is truly a beacon of hope and love for all, regardless of their nationality. It was wonderful to read about the hard work and dedication of Rev. Claudio Antecini. Particularly significant is the fact that Our Lady is the patron saint of the United States, as designated by the American Catholic bishops in 1846. There are many beautiful churches in New York that are dedicated to Notre Dame. One of them is St. Mary’s (Immaculate Conception) in Yonkers. It has been designated as a historic landmark because of its service to immigrants from Europe. Today, this is where our new immigrants from Latin America and elsewhere live. God bless you for your inspiring article. I’m going to show it to my friends and family. Barbara Popovic

Indiscriminate slaughter

Bronx: Israel is doing to the Palestinians what the Germans did to the Jews, with US support, by bombing schools, hospitals and children. We’re not the good guys anymore. Edwin Garcia

Freely elected

East Meadow, LI: In the voice of Yumna Zahid Ali: What happened during the flour blockade, etc. is truly heartbreaking. That said, how did voting for Hamas to lead the government work for the people of Gaza? Jeff Tuck

New rules?

Manhattan: If memory serves me correctly, around the time of the Vietnam War, there were sensible regulations regarding the behavior of protesters during demonstrations. They (we) were not allowed to carry poles with signs, we had to stay a certain distance from the place being protested and not block it, and we had to obtain permission from the police in advance. If these rules are still in effect, how come Zohran Mamdani and his sidekick, Senator Bernie Sanders, are holding up signs on poles – as seen in the photo in “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” (December 2)? Why were protesters allowed to block the entrance to the Park East Synagogue? And have any of their organizations received the required police permits? Are the rules in force in the 1970s still in force? If they were discontinued, when and why? Aviva Cantor

Loyally proud

Brooklyn: This year, I will celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah more boldly than before. First, because I want to spread more joy, and boy, do we need it today. Second, show the anti-Semites (both overt and covert) that we are not going away. We do not cower in your presence. And Dreidel is such a fun, low-tech game! Ellen Levitt

Cut comic

Queens Village: A few Sundays ago (November 16), you had a “MUTTS” comic, but you removed the first panel (which had a “MUTTS” panel with Earl looking over the bridge) into the water. Why would you do that? You disrespect the work of the comic by manipulating its creation. It had nothing to do with space. You just removed a cartoon character for no reason, thereby changing the message the comic is trying to convey. I signed up to receive the comic of the day every day of the year. I reported the discrepancy regarding the Sunday strip to the folks at “MUTTS”, but they said they had no jurisdiction to complain or respond to the lack of transparency. My question, Daily News, is: What are we supposed to think about this? Joan Silaco

Reader Favorites

Whiting, NJ: Comic strips and the Jumble are one of the main reasons I subscribe to the Daily News, and I bet there are many others who feel the same way. So why do we have to suffer for days with such small print and have to use a magnifying glass? I’ve written about this twice already and it’s still the same. Publishers should understand that these two characteristics are much more important to us than some attention-grabbing bullshit with large print and images. I really hope that you people in charge will be wise and resolve this issue. John Brandenburg

Extrajudicial execution

Dublin: To spokesperson Rich Hilbert: As a former resident of New York City, I will be happy to answer the question you posed to Senator Mark Kelly about the definition of an unlawful order. That would be like ordering your navy to fire missiles at people on small boats off the coast of a country 1,000 miles away, murdering the occupants of said boat for a crime – in this case, alleged drug trafficking – for which there is no evidence that the people on the boats were guilty. My basic understanding of the law tells me that it is illegal to murder people without proof that they committed a crime and that they pose no threat to anyone. Sean Thornton