1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I’m writing as a parent in Iowa who believes immigration enforcement must follow the Constitution — not terrorize children and destroy families. Over 70% of people detained by ICE have no criminal record; 93% have never been convicted of a violent crime. Yet enforcement now regularly punishes innocent people — and our kids suffer. Here in Iowa: A Des Moines Public Schools senior was detained during a routine check-in and deported. His family lost contact for days. A Native American woman in Polk County was nearly sent to ICE custody because jail staff wrongly issued a detainer — even though she qualified for release. These aren’t rare “mistakes.” They highlight a system that treats people like suspects first, citizens second. Across the country — even in Chicago — enforcement has become chaos: raids on holidays, children forced outside in their underwear, playgrounds turned into tear-gas zones, kids pepper-sprayed while playing. That is not public safety. That is terror. Living in Ames — a city with a large immigrant community — I worry every day that my child’s school could be next, or that a friend’s family might vanish overnight. What’s worse: the top-down attitude. Leadership at DHS and public figures such as Kristi Noem mock concerns — posting statements meant to frighten citizens, heightening anxiety instead of offering real solutions. That’s reckless. Do you care about children? Because this fear is real. U.S. citizens — including our children — are being traumatized. The Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe guaranteed every child the right to an education. That right is meaningless when classrooms empty out in fear and kids show up wearing citizenship tags to feel safe. I urge you to support commonsense reforms: • Reinstate protections for sensitive locations (schools, day-cares, hospitals, churches) • Require judicial warrants before any enforcement near K-12 campuses • Demand oversight of operations and require court orders to be followed • Stop allowing agents to wear masks and require the present identification and warrants We can defend our laws without terrorizing our neighborhoods. We can protect our borders without destroying our children’s sense of safety. There are 334 days until the 2026 midterms.