To the editor:

I read with detached bemusement the recent diatribe, “What is happening to our democracy?” Let’s look at what happened in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge.

The Biden administration’s immigration policy allowed an open border that ushered in millions of immigrants to the United States unvetted. Foreign countries sent people with serious criminal histories to the United States. With established sanctuary policies Minneapolis attracted many of those criminals to settle in and become new “neighbors”.

In 2024, voters, fed up with the Democrat open border policy, elected Donald Trump to his second term as US president based on his campaign promise to close the border and deport illegal immigrants.

When ICE arrived in Minneapolis, self-proclaimed “knucklehead” Tim Walz and his at-arms-length sidekick, Jacob Frey (the enemy of my enemy is my friend), caused controversy by not cooperating with ICE. This was of great benefit to Tim Walz as he was right in the middle of the Learing Center Daycare, Feed our Future, Autism Center fraud schemes he claims he knew nothing about.

To deflect from the fraud issue Walz claimed that ICE was arresting “neighbors” and encouraged citizens to document ICE actions under the guise of “peaceful protests”. … Two anti-ICE activists took their lives into their own hands and lost them. How sad and unnecessary.

Then Tom Homan showed up and met with Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey. Then things changed. Local law enforcement started cooperating with ICE, eureka.

I wonder, where were the activists and ICE protesters during the Obama and Biden administrations? And where is the outrage for the innocents that were preyed upon by illegal immigrant criminals?

As President Donald Trump states so eloquently, “Thank you for your attention to this matter”.

John Olcott

Springfield