We Should Not Have to Live in This Kind of Fear
To the Editor:
Recently, on August 10th, I approached the La Grange City council with a few concerns I have had about the community in this town. This concern was that of the involvement of ICE in our local community and how the local law enforcement will ensure everyone’s safety.
In the two minutes I spoke, I said quite a bit about how I’m sure we are aware of the stories of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, as well as many other people who were gunned down by the reckless actions of ICE.
My point was to ensure that the city will do something to ensure that we don’t have any sort of incidents here where someone will end up dead or injured, and I am confident that the good people of this county wouldn’t want anything like that to happen to anyone, regardless of status.
I know many people will disagree with my stance on ICE, but I am sure that everyone in this town wants nothing but peace and quiet. After all, that’s why we are here, is it not? How can we have that peace and quiet if it’ll be drowned out by gunfire and demands from ICE agents yelling demands, telling you to exit your home at gunpoint?
It seems insane to imagine such a thing to happen here; does it not? It has already happened on March 2: ICE agents, in coordination with local law enforcement, carried out an operation right outside of Fayetteville.
In this operation, my father was taken into custody, but he was not a target of any operation. We had lived a peaceful life until that life was turned upside down by three men holding rifles, demanding I open my door, blinding me with their lights, and entering my home once I was outside, grabbing my father and bringing him outside.
After this, they took pictures of my father and me, and they informed us that he was going to be taken at that instant. No warrant or deportation order was shown; nothing was proven to indicate that we were the targets of any kind of operation. This is the reality we live in now, but this should never be the norm. We shouldn’t have to live in any kind of fear over these people. Is it not the responsibility of local law enforcement to protect and serve?
Is it not their responsibility to ensure your safety as well as mine and anyone else living in this county, regardless of any kind of status? People are scared to go to work; people are scared to leave their home; people are afraid they are going to end up just another statistic in the news.
They don’t fear deportation, but they fear death. Is that how we should live? Should we be afraid that a stray bullet may hit some bystander and seriously injure them?
I urge anyone to ensure the safety of all people within this county by asking these kinds of questions. What is the county doing to ensure our safety? Why should we allow these kinds of agents to do these things? How can we ensure that our representatives hear us?
How can we stop these acts from happening? That’s why I went to the City Council to ask these questions, and I do not plan on stopping until more people are aware of these kinds of things.
Our officials need to listen to us and understand that we value our lives as well as the lives of all those within this wonderful nation.
Lastly, I hope that my work will not be in vain and that people will join because we here in this country have the power to petition; we have free speech, and we have the right to express our concerns, and we shouldn’t be afraid to speak up for what is objectively the right thing.
Juan Aguado Guerrero, La Grange