Someone had to

How dare President Trump enforce the law of the land, when Democrats have ignored it for far too long?

In a country supposedly built on the rule of law, it’s a special kind of irony that when President Donald J. Trump decides to actually enforce it, loudly, unapologetically and effectively he’s branded as cruel, fascist or worse. Meanwhile, the very same laws he’s enforcing sat ignored, twisted, or selectively applied by previous administrations that cloaked chaos in compassion and policy failure in moral superiority.

Let’s be clear: U.S. immigration law isn’t a choose-your-own-adventure story. It’s a legal framework, passed by Congress, signed into law, and affirmed in courtrooms across the country. It outlines who can come in, how, and under what conditions. It also spells out what happens when those rules are broken. Yet for decades, particularly under Democratic leadership, enforcement has been treated like a political inconvenience rather than a legal obligation.

So when President Trump deploys ICE to arrest undocumented individuals with deportation orders, he’s not reinventing the wheel, he’s turning it. When he reinstates travel restrictions from unstable or hostile nations, he’s not “banning Muslims”, he’s prioritizing national security. When he invokes Title 10 to send federal troops into cities that have failed to cooperate with basic immigration enforcement, he’s responding to a vacuum of responsibility created by sanctuary policies and political theater.

The same party that demands strict background checks for gun ownership somehow turns a blind eye when thousands cross the border daily, unvetted and undocumented. Is the law sacred, or is it only sacred when it suits a political agenda?

The Biden administration gutted asylum restrictions, stopped interior enforcement, and allowed border crossings to hit record highs. Cities like New York and Chicago are now overrun with the consequences, overcrowded shelters, strained services and communities pushed to the brink. And yet, when President Trump steps in with decisive action, mass deportations, restored travel bans and pending executive orders to secure legal guest labor, the left doesn’t offer solutions. They offer slogans.

What Trump is doing in 2025 isn’t radical. It’s remedial. He’s trying to repair a system deliberately left broken. The courts have the final say, and some of his actions will inevitably face challenges, but enforcing existing immigration law should never be a partisan issue. The fact that it is speaks volumes about how deeply politicized even basic legal enforcement has become.

You don’t have to like Trump to acknowledge the facts. You don’t have to agree with every tactic to admit that this country cannot function under selective law enforcement. What happens when laws are only applied based on who’s in power? You stop having a republic, and start playing with authoritarian fire.

So yes … how dare President Trump enforce the law of the land? How dare he step in where Democrats wouldn’t? How dare he actually try to restore order in a system that’s been spiraling toward anarchy?

He dares … because someone had to.

Rick Fraser, Prescott

Reasonable doubt

Last week President Trump approved the use of our American military forces in an attempt to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Very shortly afterward, even before either America’s or Israel’s intelligence agencies had time to analyze and make estimates on how effective that military strike was, the president proudly claimed that we “obliterated” and totally destroyed Iran’s facilities and its capabilities to produce nuclear weapons. However, within 24 hours, experts in such military matters warned the public that they were not convinced that was true.

So, while I, like I’m assuming many people, am hoping Trump was correct, it appears to be another case of Trump’s habit of “never letting the truth get in the way of a good story.” Much like his claim of winning the 2020 election in a landslide, or his misrepresenting his true wealth or property values in order to secure future financial loans, or the size of the crowds at his 2016 inauguration, or the severity of the Covid 19 virus headed America’s way in 2020,or his denial of taking any highly sensitive or secure documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, etc. Trump made public statements or declarations about each of those situations … all of which turned out to be false. Please excuse me when I assume the “doubting Thomas” role whenever I listen to him speak.

Mike Miller, Lakeland

Trying to figure it out

I’ve been trying to figure out why Donald Trump, Elon Musk and other wealthy people keep (trying to) take income, jobs, food, medical care, etc., away from those who already have a lot less than they have.

I’m starting to think that they either have mental illness of some kind or that they have never felt the joy of helping others.

Terry Hawkins, St. Paul

Rated ‘R’

A review of a movie, “28 years later”, on Sunday review rated the movie: “R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, graphic nudity, language and brief sexuality,” And then rated this movie “4 stars out of 4”.

Has our common sense/good judgment really changed this much? Once and a while we will watch an old black and white movie; they seem to have a story, with wonderful acting and no special effects needed.

John Heller, North St. Paul

Sainted

A patriotic SAINTED to the folks who planted flags along Cleveland Avenue, Cretin Avenue and Ford Parkway for Flag Day.

L. Stephen Borer, St. Paul

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