Editor, Gazette-Journal:
A story in the June 7 Virginian-Pilot told of Yunseo Chung, a student at Columbia University, valedictorian at Grafton High School in 2022, a permanent resident of the U.S. and a green card holder. ICE attempted to arrest her for supporting Palestine in its war with Israel.
Fortunately, this was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, but it should never have happened in the first place. Never! Freedom of speech is one of the most basic rights that we have. It is the bedrock of our nation. People living here, citizen or not, have the right to criticize the government without fear of reprisal. Where would we be if our founding fathers did not do exactly that?
In spite of what the Trump administration seems to think, they are not gods and are perfectly capable of making mistakes and poor policy decisions. This is becoming more obvious every day.
Arthur H. Jennette, M.D.Williamsburg, Va.
...