No one wins when a vulnerable group of human beings are the brunt of dehumanizing insults, especially to gain political points.

Over the past eight years, our current president has been repeating disparaging insults toward immigrants during his campaign rallies, political speeches and social media posts hundreds of times each year. In his own words, he has referred to all immigrants as rapists, animals, violent criminals, vermin, aliens, invaders, drug dealers, thieves, poisoning our blood, eating neighbors’ pets and worse that is unprintable and untrue.

Trump’s repetition of these insults, every chance he gets, creates an atmosphere of fear and hatred toward immigrants. Yes, there have been a small percentage of immigrants who have committed violent crimes, and they are the ones who ICE should be arresting.

Ninety-five-plus percent of immigrants here in Maine are hard-working, respectful and resourceful members of our community. They grow and harvest our food, care for our loved ones, contribute to our hospitality industry, pay taxes and share their rich cultural traditions. They deserve a real path to documentation and citizenship, not humiliating attacks by masked ICE agents and deportation to concentration camp-like notorious prisons.

Tina Phillips
Brunswick