City must not align with secret police

I’ve worked as a consultant all over the world. Wherever I traveled, I was met with kindness and respect. Most people, no matter the country, are largely the same: they want safety, stability, and a better future for their children.

I worked in places like Lebanon, South Africa, Indonesia, China and Venezuela — countries people often label as dangerous or authoritarian. Yet in all those years, I never encountered masked, secret police. That is why what is happening in the United States today is so alarming.

I have no issue with lawful immigration enforcement. Legal deportation hearings, due process and actions that follow the law are essential. What I do object to are people being taken by men with no badges, no identification, no visible warrants and faces hidden behind masks. People are being detained or tear gassed simply for questioning authority — or for the color of their skin.

U.S. citizens, taxpayers, and business owners have been caught up in this. People in their last step to take the oath of citizenship have been snatched.

Unlike nearby towns that have taken steps to object to ICE activity on city-owned property, St. Charles has not done so. Our neighboring cities have chosen to protect their residents and signal their values. I do not want St. Charles to gain a reputation as a town that welcomes intimidation and fear. I do not want to live in, or spend my money in, a town that looks the other way while neighbors are taken without proper warrants. And I know I am not alone in that.

Council persons, Mayor Hull, please signal that St. Charles does not align with secret police.

Linda Robertson

St. Charles