To the editor:

As President Donald Trump continues his all-out assault against immigrants, particularly those who have entered our great country from our southern border, by securing $170 billion for the mass deportation of migrants, as a result of the passing of what he, illogically, deems to be his Big, Beautiful Bill, which will include the hiring of 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, as well as 8,000 additional Border Patrol agents, in order to resolve what has been described as our nation’s border crisis. As a result of the dramatic funding increase for ICE, its budget actually is larger than our nation’s other primary federal law enforcement entities, namely the FBI, Bureau of Prisons and the DEA, combined.

In addition, Trump has long claimed, and continues to claim, that migrants to our country, particularly those who enter at our southern border, have been sent here by their respective countries as a result of their being hardened criminals and undesirables, as Trump has stated that such counties have done so by emptying their prisons and insane asylums and having them go to the U.S. in order to wreak havoc on us.

All of this is, essentially, verifiably untrue, as the vast majority of immigrants have come here in order to find employment and build a better life for themselves.

Such is typical of the Trump rhetoric, as he basically casts those who might oppose him or those with whom he might disagree as being crooked, having a low IQ or being incompetent.

However, those immigrants who are found to be serious criminals as a result of due process should, indeed, be deported, but those who have no such troubling history should be given the opportunity to stay following completion of all such entry requirements.

It also has been reported, sadly, that recent arrests of migrants without any criminal records whatsoever, have increased by more than 800 percent, while being denied their right to due process, already this year. This is under the order of Trump, who, himself, is a legally convicted felon.

The massive construction of migrant detention centers, including one known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida, sadly, appears quite reminiscent of concentration camps and gulags that were constructed to house Jews during World War II by Nazi Germany under the leadership of Adolph Hitler.

Imagine the extent of criticism if such actions were being taken by a third-world country, and rightfully so, as such would, undoubtedly, be overwhelmingly condemned by the U.S., as well as the free world.

In closing, it appears ironic and hypocritical that punitive measures have been taken against immigrants to our great nation, when two of Trump’s three wives, including his current wife, and four of his five children have immigrant mothers, making his recent actions appear even more hypocritical and inconsistent with long held previous sentiments toward immigrants, as it has been documented that he has employed hundreds of undocumented immigrants at his facilities, and at numerous business projects that he has funded over the years.

Richard Hord

Martins Ferry