1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

What kind of nation sends immigration agents into museums? Reports that ICE agents have shown up at a Puerto Rican cultural museum in Chicago should alarm every single one of you. This is not border enforcement. This is intimidation — directed at a community celebrating its culture and history within the very country that claims to welcome freedom and diversity. Even the Catholic Church is now urging its parishioners to avoid masses and holy day celebrations out of fear. Think about that. A country where the faithful are too afraid to worship is not a free country. That’s a regime of fear. When federal agents are deployed to police identity, when art exhibits become targets, when simply gathering becomes suspicious — we are no longer talking about law enforcement. We are talking about fear tactics. The people who visit and work at cultural institutions and places of worship are not criminals. They are teachers, students, artists, families, and people of faith. If ICE has the resources to stalk museums and churches, then your priorities are dangerously misplaced. Congress is responsible for funding and overseeing these agencies. You just voted to give ICE $350 billion. For what? So they can raid museums instead of stopping trafficking, violence, or real crime? It’s time to rein ICE in. Cancel this dangerous expansion of their powers. Restore funding to schools, hospitals, food programs — and stop empowering a rogue agency to target communities based on language, race, faith, and history. This country is not a police state — unless you keep making it one. Do your job. Protect the people. Defund this abuse.