Here’s what readers are saying about ICE, protests and Rep. Buddy Carter

I was in college in Ohio when innocent people were killed at Kent State University, because they were there. In 1974, at Montfort Point, Camp LeJeune Marine Base, I was assigned to be officer of the day. It is like being chief of police of a small city, where the whole city has been trained to fight.

That night, one squad bay took their bunk beds apart to use the pipes as weapons to fight another squad bay. The senior enlisted sergeant handled it. I didn’t do anything. But I remember thinking, “Gosh, what if I have to use my .45-caliber pistol on my hip?”

It seems to me, for survival of all involved: Don’t show up. Don’t push them. Don’t photograph them. Don’t give them a civics lesson. Don’t tell them your rights. Don’t drive away when asked to stop. Don’t be there.

Instead, show up to vote in November and tell elected officials who don’t have the courage to stop this, “Get out!”

Daniel F. Kirk, Kennesaw

Don’t encourage demonstrations

The “paid protesters” with the bullhorns create more problems for Atlanta than ice storms.

Giving them coverage encourages even more stupidity.

Jack Franklin, Conyers

Carter’s proposal is ‘egregious,’ ‘tone-deaf’

Rep. Carter has requested that the anarchy and murder of citizens by ICE in Minneapolis bring its dangerous traveling road show to Atlanta.

How can he so betray the very citizens he seeks to represent as our next U.S. senator? The good news is, he has been transparent about his goals if he is elected.

I urge Georgians to continue to stand together to protect democracy, the Constitution and each other by opposing his egregious, tone-deaf proposal.

Joyce E. Kitchens, St. Simons Island

More ICE in Atlanta would be a spectacle

Why does Buddy Carter think more federal ICE enforcement in Georgia is necessary, when, according to statistics I’ve read, Georgia ranks fourth in the country in ICE arrests already?

How much improvement does he expect? Sounds to me like the local and state authorities are doing it right.

Or is it the spectacle that we are seeing play out in the streets of Minnesota that he is hoping for?

Yeah, bring the publicity, controversy and notoriety of the “ICE-capades” show to our state — Minneapolis needs a break. Do they book performances in red states?

Ingrid Macdonald, Marietta

Retort to Carter is a plea for left-wing relevance

Re: “Calling for ICE surge in Atlanta is a cry for right-wing relevance,” by Bill Torpy.

AJC columnist Bill Torpy’s opinion piece on ICE was from an angry writer desperately searching for left-wing relevance.

Americans voted for ICE to do their job, but the Democratic city of Minneapolis has pledged no cooperation whatsoever.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s words and actions have encouraged protesters to actively interfere with law enforcement operations even as they try to apprehend immigrants accused of crimes.

Unfortunately, two protesters died, but when you tussle with law enforcement things can get out of hand very quickly. The actions of these protesters have been just as bad the ones on Jan. 6, 2021. I believe Torpy and AJC politics columnist Patricia Murphy called what happened at the Capitol an “insurrection.”

Allen Johnson, Johns Creek

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Trump is setting fire to democracy

It’s obvious that (President Donald) Trump is pushing for a violent reaction from protesters so he has an excuse to declare martial law via the Insurrection Act.

He needs his personal version of the Reichstag Fire to get his own Enabling Act, and he’s willing to sacrifice an ICE agent or two to get what he needs.

Remember America? Yeah, we tossed that away for a strongman because we couldn’t get everything we wanted from a democracy.

Dean Poirier, Lilburn

Shameful call for a sitting member of Congress

I read with alarm the guest opinion column by Congressman Buddy Carter.

I grew up in Minnesota and spent nearly 35 years of my life in the state. I watch what is happening on the streets of their cities with outrage.

The agents from ICE and Customs and Border Patrol have to date instilled only fear and frustration in a peaceful population, along with taking the lives of two American citizens.

Their callous and lawless approach to their responsibilities is reprehensible. So, to invite this kind of mayhem and lawlessness into the streets of Atlanta, or anywhere else, is simply unconscionable.

We are at an inflection point. A moral moment for our country that cries out for humility and decency. A moral moment our current federal administration is incapable of meeting.

To have a representative of our state, in the person of Mr. Carter, demand a greater presence of a lawless organization is shameful.

Jeffrey J. Luther, Roswell

Don’t let Trump have the last word

This is America’s 250th anniversary, a milestone to celebrate. Our republic has survived and thrived with many challenges along the way. Now the guardrails have collapsed. We are confronting possible loss of our freedoms — our democracy — in the throes of a dictator.

President Donald Trump has seized power of the Justice Department and Congress. He has repurposed ICE’s mission from border control into an internal armed militia. There will be no credible federal investigation into the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Congressional Republicans have neglected their responsibilities and ceded their power to Trump.

Now all citizens must stand up for our democracy. Participate in rallies, write and call members of Congress. Perhaps we will find some who will put country before ego and greed.

This is not “The Apprentice,” where Trump had the last word.

Sandie Webb, Decatur

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Immigration enforcement is not a local responsibility

Re: “Shame on Dems for telling police to ‘stand down,’” by James Parry, Jan. 23.

A letter writer wrote about Democratic cities having their police “stand down” on ICE activities.

This is a common fail in conservative thinking. States’, counties’ and municipalities’ law enforcement agencies are generally not charged with enforcing federal law and are neither well-equipped nor trained to do so. Immigration is a federal, not local, responsibility.

Most local law enforcement does cooperate at some level, and some that disagree with federal policies do not. Their policies are made locally with the support of the affected community. It’s a sort of home rule.

If the federal government disputes that home rule, they should go to court. This federal government chooses instead to invade and brutalize those who choose home rule.

They should expect increasing resistance.

J. Kurt Ohberg, Atlanta

Carter has created new activists in Georgia

Is Congressman Buddy Carter crazy? He thinks ICE will solve problems in Atlanta?

After events of the past weeks in Minnesota and Maine, I can only hope that there are enough bullet-proof vests for all the protesters who will respond to an ICE presence.

And to ask Sen. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff to join him in welcoming ICE? Rep. Carter is delusional.

It seems like the ICE agents in Minnesota and Maine are working on a quota system. They appear to have little concern as to whether the people they detain are legal, or undocumented, or criminals, as long as they detain the numbers, reminiscent of rounding up people in Nazi Germany.

These ICE agents appear to be using their orders as justification to attack those whose looks they don’t like. Who are these people desperate enough to join the ICE forces?

Striving for optimism here, such an opinion should diminish Congressman Carter’s chances of becoming senator and will unite and rally us Georgians to oppose such ICE actions, if we aren’t already activists. For this I thank you, Congressman Carter.

Jean Millkey, Atlanta

Is this the price of getting Trump’s endorsement?

Is Buddy Carter just foolish? Is he tone-deaf? Maybe he’s just so deep in Trump’s pocket trying to get the coveted MAGA endorsement that he’s willing to do and say foolish, tone-deaf stuff.

His hatred of us “woke” Atlantans is certainly showing. He wants to see the administration bring the same federally sponsored disruption, fear, violence and death to Atlanta that we are all painfully witnessing in Minneapolis.

That fact alone should discredit him from any public office. Ever.

Kathleen Moriarty, Atlanta

We need truly fair and balanced coverage on ICE

The hallmark of a highly functioning democracy is the ability to agree on facts. Opinions about them may differ, but facts are not a variable.

My husband and I watched the coverage of Alex Pretti’s death on Jan. 24. We deliberately watched MS NOW, FOX and CNN to get a sense of how this tragedy was being discussed and presented.

CNN ran the video of Pretti’s encounter with ICE over and over again with various footage from different angles. Even if you didn’t have the volume turned on you could tell what happened. MS NOW is biased, to be sure, but it also showed the video many times, allowing a person to just get the facts.

I have always heard that those who watch FOX and only FOX are the least informed. I now get it. This lack of coverage by FOX has nothing to do with “conservative values.” It does smack of what Russian’s call “state-sanctioned” news.

My plea to FOX cable viewers: Please seek information from multiple sources. You are woefully uninformed about the events and situation in Minnesota if you didn’t switch channels. Please get out of your bubble.

The future depends on all of us facing reality and at least seeing, with our own eyes, the events of the day. And my hat is off to CNN for the most balanced and informative news.

Susan Binns, Marietta

Credit: Mike Luckovich

Credit: Mike Luckovich

Deport violent criminals, but don’t kill citizens

Rep. Buddy Carter’s editorial, “We need greater ICE presence in Atlanta,” listed undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes who have been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Atlanta.

I would think we can all agree that those violent individuals fully deserved to be deported. However, the editorial appeared less than 24 hours before ICE agents in Minneapolis shot and killed Alex Pretti, an American citizen who had a few traffic citations on his record.

Video footage of the killing clearly shows that Pretti was shot in the back while on the ground. If only we could all agree that he didn’t deserve to die.

Rick Diguette, Tucker

Our 250-year-old nation will prevail over lawlessness

“Are you OK?” No, I’m not. I’m horrified.

Alex Pretti’s last words haunt me. He, and a woman filming ICE who was pushed by an agent, both on the ground, both pepper-sprayed. He asked her, “Are you OK?” seconds before being shot while face down on the street, incapacitated, pinned down by burly men. Killed. By our own government’s agents.

And immediately called a “domestic terrorist” by the Trump administration. Yet, when I look at the video as it happened, my eyes contradict this. The reality of what I see does not jibe with the lies.

Renee Good’s last words were “Dude, I’m not mad at you,” while the ICE agent circled her car filming. And then he shot her three times, killing her. And when his phone video was released, he could be heard cursing at her. And immediately the administration rushed to declare her a “domestic terrorist.”

I’m horrified at ICE agents’ inhumanity, violence, invading homes, using a 5-year-old child as bait and tear-gassing peaceful protestors.

The administration’s lies and lawlessness will not prevail. “We the people” will exercise our constitutional rights, protect democracy, continue standing up, speaking out and peacefully protesting. We shall prevail.

Kathleen Collomb, Decatur

As a Republican, I want Trump to defend, not take away, my rights

To GOP voters:

The president coached his team to a lawless invasion of Minnesota to intimidate the population, guilty of caring for law abiding immigrants.

His real intent: to “get even with a blue state.”

The 10th Amendment specifically forbids what happened.

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

The stated goal of the deployment of mass ICE forces was to investigate a past serious fraud scheme that 50 to 60 Somalian immigrants reportedly embezzled funds meant to feed the hungry, already being investigated.

It takes thousands to investigate? Thousands of ICE agents had no bearing on that investigation.

But a massive show of force resulted in unlawfully entering and dragging suspects without permission to enter homes legally, dragging people from cars, arresting suspects without any due process, and then shooting and killing protesters, calling them “domestic terrorists” — not victims of overreach — as spun by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and (Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem: a complete fabrication.

Trump, then acknowledging no gun was drawn by the victim, forgot Second Amendment rights were specifically for that purpose of defending against government overreach. He said the victim’s death was justified for carrying a holstered weapon.

As a Republican, veteran and Christian, I protest the disregard and manufactured facts.

Tenth Amendment, Second Amendment, First Amendment. All trampled.

I didn’t vote for this!

Dan Smith, Alpharetta

Noem must be removed from her Cabinet post

The Trump Administration has the idea that a lie repeated enough will become true. The president keeps telling us that things are great and prices are down. Well, things are not great and prices are up. The president is just a bully and, like most bullies, if they are stood up to, they falter.

I was very happy that the European leaders stood up to him over Greenland and he caved.

Where are the Epstein files?

Unfortunately, the worst liar is Kristi Noem. She started her reign of lies in the El Salvador prison when the first deportees where taken there. She didn’t stand in front of the U.S. deportees, she stood in front of the El Salvadoran prisoners so the gang tattoos were visible, leading the viewer to think the deportees had gang tattoos.

She describes a video of a man forced and held down by ICE agents and shot multiple times and says that he was attacking the agents.

For most public safety organizations, an officer involved shooting results in the officer(s) being temporarily removed from the field while an investigation is conducted. But not with ICE. Kristi Noem needs to be impeached.

David Pitts, Pitts

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Trump gets leadership better than Biden or Obama

Twenty-sixth U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt’s advice — “Speak softly and carry a big stick” — wasn’t about weakness. It was about discipline. Quiet credibility works.

President Barack Obama was loud with a small stick. His Syria “red line” wasn’t enforced, and U.S. credibility collapsed — with consequences felt in Afghanistan, Iran’s expansion and the rise of Hamas.

President Joe Biden followed with soft words and no stick, producing chaos at the border and further erosion of deterrence abroad.

President (Donald) Trump is now trying to clean up that damage by being loud with a big stick — real power, wrong voice. Greenland and NATO allies want stronger U.S. security cooperation, but public theatrics turn alignment into conflict.

On immigration, outcomes that most Americans support become harder to achieve when confrontation replaces discipline.

History’s lesson remains simple: Quiet strength works. Loud power backfires.

Paul Miller, Alpharetta

Time for companies and the public to speak out

There is deep hypocrisy in what we are witnessing today.

Big-box hardware stores and construction companies in Atlanta and other parts of Georgia exploded in growth after the 1996 Olympics.

The boom was a fortuitous combination of cheap labor — mostly immigrant Hispanic men and women who stayed to take advantage of the American dream — and the birth of the big-box hardware stores.

Fortunes have been made in construction and the big-box hardware business.

Now the same big-box hardware stores and contractors are not speaking out while masked, armed ICE agents round up children, men and women in business parking lots and aisles, even immigrant homes, based on skin color.

This is throwing the vulnerable to the wolves, abandoning those upon whose backs our roads were paved, schools and churches roofed, and yards beautified.

You and I have benefited from immigrants daily, right down to the food we eat, grown and harvested by immigrants.

It is a moral cowardice for the stores, companies and the public to now look away and stay silent.

Patricia Burns, Smyrna

ICE needs to be reined in, not invited into Georgia

The year has started with videos of the horrific actions of federal agents from ICE and Customs and Border Patrol in Minneapolis. To my eyes, it appears these federal agents are not trained, are at odds with local law enforcement and are basically terrorizing the communities they’re in, resulting in what looked like two public executions, first of Renee Good and then Alex Pretti.

And now my U.S. representative, Buddy Carter, wants them to come to Georgia to “keep us safe”?

So far, with supposed oversight from the Department of Homeland Security, these federal agents have violated the First Amendment of freedom of speech and the right to peacefully assemble, the Fourth Amendment of freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, the 14th Amendment of equal protection and due process, and now, the Second Amendment of the right to bear arms. This army of thugs needs to be reined in, not invited in.

Soo Yacker, Savannah

Democrats show their true colors during ICE operations

Hypocrites?

They are leaders like U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who supports policies that allow millions of undocumented immigrants to enter our country and then complains bitterly because perhaps a few of them are being treated unfairly.

In actuality, these leaders don’t care. They are interested only in more votes for the Democratic Party.

Brandt Ross, Atlanta

Congressman should have talked about ice, not ICE

I am appalled to see the piece by Rep. Buddy Carter. His views are the complete opposite of mine.

The last thing we need is to make Atlanta look like Minneapolis. In view of the recent cold weather, I was hoping that his guest opinion column article was a call for more snow plows.

But I was soon disappointed to see it was about a serious call for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Surely, the good people of Georgia will have the good sense not to elect Buddy Carter to the U.S. Senate.

M. Kent Burel, Athens

MTG and NRA are right when it comes to Alex Pretti killing

I seldom agree with anything the National Rifle Association and former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene say, but I found something in the recent AJC story, “Outrage over the latest killing by ICE in Minn. fuels risk of shutdown.”

The article was one of many covering the shooting death of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the VA hospital in Minneapolis. Although he was armed at the time, his firearm was holstered. He was disarmed before he was shot 10 times.

The article quoted the NRA as saying “the Second Amendment protected Pretti’s actions as they appear on video footage of the incident.”

Greene said “that Republicans would have defended Pretti if his cause was defending Trump instead of protesting ICE.”

The Washington Post reported that people critical of the ICE protestors, including multiple conservatives strongly supportive of gun rights in the past, justified Pretti’s shooting “on the grounds that his carrying of a holstered gun showed he had violent intentions.”

In other words, the Second Amendment applies only to MAGA Republicans and not to the rest of us.

Bob Barth, Atlanta

Anti-ICE protesters evoke courage of Civil Rights Movement

As an aging Black man who vividly remembers the horror of watching civil rights protesters gassed, bitten by dogs and clubbed by cops, I can’t help but believe that the sacrifices they made with their lives became the catalyst that inspires protesters today.

Each time ICE is exposed on national television brutalizing and killing innocent protesters, they lose support for their unjust cause and eventually results in bringing about positive change.

Eddie Clay, East Point

Immigration agents are not trained for city policing

Despite more than 10 years in Congress, Rep. Buddy Carter understands little about immigration, policing and Atlanta. He misses the fact that agriculture businesses are a main beneficiary of their work, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Maybe he should look inside his rural district before trying out his ideas in Atlanta?

He also misses the fact that ICE and DHS do not provide policing. As so sadly shown in Minneapolis, they are not trained for city policing and de-escalation tactics. Inviting them is inviting death and terror to our city, which has also shown a decreasing trend in crime occurrences. Rep. Carter’s lack of judgment is all voters need to know when his name appears on another ballot.

Greg Martin, Smyrna

Operation in Minneapolis is a tragedy, not a success

Rep. Buddy Carter’s opinion that ICE is needed in Atlanta is frightening. The “success” of the ICE surge — more like invasion — of Minneapolis, has resulted in death, intimidation by violence and a community torn apart.

Would Rep. Carter please give us documentation of the 3,000 alleged criminals that have been removed? Given the chaos that ICE operates under, including shipping two children to Texas, I doubt there is any accurate accounting of these individuals.

The violent and indiscriminate behavior of ICE should not be tolerated in any location, and I am appalled that Carter, who seeks to be elevated to the Senate, would support this for our state.

But I am reminded of his loyalty to Trump between the election of 2020 and Jan. 6, 2021, and it all makes sense. What has been happening in Minneapolis is a tragedy, not a success. It will take years for the community to recover.

I say no to ICE in Atlanta, and I support the Senate withholding funding approval until serious questions are answered and corrections put in place.

M. Terrell, Decatur