To the Editor:

I was appalled with article by Dane Hicks in Saturday’s Great Bend Tribune (Oct. 11 Opinion Page) suggesting that Kansas sponsor a day of appreciation for ICE agents. Trying to even compare them denigrates our own police and law enforcement who work openly, legally, serving us unmasked, knowing that they are accountable to their neighbors (us) who they are working for.

The work ICE is doing today is not honorable, often not legal, and good reason for wearing a mask, because their behavior is terrible. These masked thugs are supposed to always have a warrant before entering any place, but they mostly don’t. The purpose of ICE these days is not to protect the populace of a community, but instead by cruel behaviors incite backlash from communities, which then gives our factually-challenged POTUS a reason to send in federal troops to quell the trouble started by ICE. 

Just recently in Portland, Oregon, where my niece lives, ICE agents pushed down an elderly woman, giving her a concussion, then knocking over her Vietnam veteran husband who was in a wheelchair! Peaceful protestors! There is no excuse for this behavior. My niece lives two miles from the ICE detention center in Portland and she reports that Blackhawk helicopters were constantly flying over neighborhoods intentionally terrorizing the populace. After several days and nights of that, somehow outcry got the helicopters to abate during nights so that people could sleep.

Most people have heard of the outrageous, cruel  ICE raid of a Chicago apartment building in the wee hours, pulling people out of their beds, little kids zip-tied together. No warrant looking for a criminal, just indiscriminate mass terrorism of innocent people trying to sleep and live in peace. Imagine having your door smashed in by masked, armed strangers. Wouldn’t you fight back to save your family and yourself? Well, that is what POTUS and the deranged Steven Miller want, so they have a reason to send in troops.  

Part of the Constitutionally- sworn duties of our Congress is to monitor federal facilities, but we know that Congress is not doing its job in several areas, including this one. When some Congress persons have tried to inspect facilities and monitor the treatment inside, they have been prevented, detained, and sometimes pushed around. And ICE is not accountable to anyone. This is un-American, un-Constitutional, and just plain WRONG.

I am not ready to celebrate masked, armed, ICE agents that attack peaceful protestors. Peaceful protesting is protected as a first amendment right in our Constitution. Any ICE agent can take off his mask and carry out his duties in a legal, respectable, accountable way. THEN appreciation might be deserved. However, the hefty sign-on bonuses they get from us taxpayers should count for something.

“Evil can only prevail when good people do/say nothing.” While we still can, Americans who care about maintaining our freedom and democracy must peacefully resist the unlawful, unconstitutional actions that our current government is using against us. That is why I am proudly planning to join the peaceful “No Kings Day” protest in Salina this Saturday. It is one way I can show that I LOVE AMERICA!

Dee Anne Grummon

Great Bend