When ICE Comes for Immigrants in Nashville

New York Times

7 days ago

To the Editor:
Re 'The Profound Inhumanity of ICE Raids,' by Margaret Renkl (Opinion guest essay, May 23):
Ms. Renkl, with genuine heart-rending empathy, informs us that it is open season on immigrants in Nashville. South Nashville, an enclave for Hispanic people, was obviously targeted based on demographics.
As a former resident of South Nashville, I have witnessed the cultural and socioeconomic transition through the years. I have observed nothing that would justify the wanton harassment of this area's immigrant population.
It is encouraging to see grass-roots efforts to rally around victims rounded up in a cycle of calculated and unjustified detention. The premise of these efforts is that heterogeneous societies and liberal democracy can coexist.
Slogans such as Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' serve as a perpetual rallying cry for those advocating white nationalism. However, the proposition of an America without its rich diversity is undesirable, impractical and unrealistic.
Foes of immigration are quick to seize on occasional immigrant crime, promoting an agenda calling for systematic deportation and stringent quotas for immigrants. While there is certainly a need to address immigrant crime, the offenders represent a very small percentage of the immigrant population.
While federal and state authorities focus on immigrant crime, perhaps they could devote a proportional degree of attention to crime by white groups and individuals against minorities.
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