1. United States
2. Letter

Your softer tone at last Thursday’s roundtable with immigration enforcement officials in Minneapolis is a welcome change from blanket denunciations and threats of escalation. Acknowledging fear, disruption, and the harm done to children matters. So does stepping back from talk of military intervention. However, words can’t replace accountability or meaningful change, particularly when they diverge from earlier and subsequent statements defending these operations without scrutiny. Multiple people have been shot during immigration enforcement operations. Two are dead. Children are detained. Armed agents continue to operate in civilian spaces with little public accountability. Framing the resulting outrage as “chaos” caused by local officials or a handful of agitators avoids the central question: whether immigration enforcement itself is being carried out with restraint, transparency, and respect for civil liberties. Insulating power from scrutiny while asking communities to accommodate force undermines public trust. Progress requires demonstrating that force is limited, accountable, and justified. Empathy without accountability is just damage control.