Families in Colorado facing danger of return to Afghanistan
Re: “Trump’s presidency was never about deporting illegal immigrants,” June 1 editorial
We thought your editorial was excellent — as far as it went. Yanking the rug out from under thousands of foreigners who often risked life and limb to find a safe haven in America is an unconscionable act of heartless, anti-humanitarian gall on the part of Donald Trump and his minions.
Less attention has been paid to the situation of more than 60 Afghan families living here in Colorado on Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Many of these are persons who aided American troops during the decade-long war in Afghanistan.
It was bad enough when the U.S. gave up the 20-year fight against the Taliban and pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021. Now, the Trump administration is apparently ready to punish the people who were our allies.
While I was a professor of psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver, I produced several films for classroom use. One of them was “Being Muslim in America–An Afghan-American Family Story,” and featured a family who escaped Afghanistan when it was occupied by Russia in the 1980s.
This couple and their children have made a successful life for themselves in Thornton and have created a support program called Muslim Youth for Positive Impact that has enabled many Afghans to integrate into our community and serve as contributing members of society. In May, some of these families received notice that their TPS would be revoked in July. This is an outrage that must not be allowed to stand.
If we similarly allow Trump to remove these Afghan families from Colorado and send them back to Afghanistan, where they will surely be killed or tortured by the Taliban, we have disgraced ourselves. What nation will ever trust the U.S. again?
We plead with Attorney General Phil Weiser to do something to halt this terrible deed.
Mary Ann Watson, Denver
Mideast terror shouldn’t have reached American soil
Much has been written in The Denver Post and elsewhere about the Trump administration and ICE’s arrests of persons in this country illegally. Some have described it as “federal overreach” and “federal attacks on our community.” ICE officials have been compared to “Nazis.” Recently, the governor signed into law Senate Bill 276 (Protect Civil Rights Immigration Status) and one organization said the law “makes our communities safer.”
It is alleged that the individual arrested in Boulder is in the country with an expired visa and a pending asylum application. Is our community safer because ICE did not arrest that individual before he could attack a peaceful protest? Isn’t it time to tone down the rhetoric and have a reasonable discussion? Protecting every person in the country illegally does not make the community safer.
Ken Fody, Helena, Mont.
What happened in Boulder was horrible. What continues to happen in Gaza is, if possible, even more horrible. Thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of children and other non-combatants are buried in rubble, blown to pieces and burned alive. Could we please show the same outrage and compassion for them as we have for what happened to our neighbors in Boulder?
The accused in Boulder said it was revenge. The Netanyahu Regime in Israel says the same, for Oct 7.
Both are outrageous. We need to practice forgiveness, compassion, empathy and altruism, now more than ever. Peace. Shalom. Assalamu alaikum.
Jim Chaney, Denver
First, I want to say that I believe that the attack in Boulder was horrible and inexcusable. We all should be horrified by it. We also should be horrified by the fact that the Israeli Defense Forces have killed an estimated 50,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Some accounts say that the majority of those killed have been innocent women, children and older citizens. The Israeli army continues with the murder daily. They have also been starving the people in Gaza.
Gerald W. Berk, Evergreen
Are Carol’s supporters also her enablers?
Re: “Town in Mo. was solidly behind Trump; then Carol was detained,” June 1 news story
The New York Times article tells the story of Carol, an immigrant from Hong Kong now caught up in Donald Trump’s deportation theater. I say theater because Carol was employed by John’s Waffle and Pancake House in Kennett, Mo., another unnamed restaurant, and cleaned houses for area residents. All those employers were breaking the law, and they aren’t hard to find. Arrest them and grind them up in Trump’s justice system. They’ve benefited from ignoring the law for decades. Until that happens, ICE raids and sanctuary city lists are just for show.
David Stewart, Aurora
This town is not solidly behind Trump! If you are in this country illegally, you very well may be deported. Did you think that might happen? If you didn’t, why not? Consequences. Understanding that your family may be split apart. Why don’t people understand that what they do is their problem?
Deanna Walworth, Brighton
Work on downtown plans that serve residents and visitors
Re: “At a crossroads: Downtown Denver is waiting for its rebound,” special report
I appreciate the efforts of our city leaders and the Downtown Denver Partnership to revitalize downtown. Accordingly, I attended the (June 1) festival celebrating the revitalization of 16th Street. Even better, I used an RTD bus for transportation.
The only disappointment was learning that the restrooms at Civic Center Plaza (our bus stop) were closed because, as explained by security staff, “the building is closed.” Really? Shouldn’t a transportation center have restrooms available for riders? This oversight contradicts frequent messaging from city leaders about improving walkability and reducing reliance on cars. Of course, the downside of public restrooms is the risk of increased vagrancy and drug use.
To mitigate this risk, how about pay toilets and/or admission restricted to those with an active RTD ticket? Attracting visitors to downtown requires proper amenities.
Robin Pittman, Denver
I plowed through your first two articles and your interviews with developers, planners, bankers and other people entangled in saving downtown. It was devoid of interviews of existing downtown residents or Denverites who are interested in the center of the city. I didn’t see a single mention of creating land uses that might serve human residents.
Certainly, no interest was expressed in regard to children’s activities. No ideas about where new residents might play catch or just sit and watch the downtown itself. It is obvious that whatever residents might desire relies on the various self-interests of the designers, planners, developers, and bankers.
Most of the recovery is aimed at more of the same. Luring remote workers to give up their lives to ensure the survival of buses, offices, high-rise office buildings, and the old downtown is doomed from the get-go. The empty buildings are warnings about the existing development. It is clear that people don’t want to join up with the proven disaster arising from the present approach. Yet the masters of downtown are trying to reproduce the mess that abides at the center of our town.
I think the city might begin to look at our neighborhoods to see what can be added to enhance the new reality. Walkable neighborhoods would reduce the funk blowing out of every automobile driving across town to buy an apple. I recognize the necessity of doing something about the quality of life to serve the neighborhoods instead of the developers’ pocketbooks. I wish the city would recognize the options of new ideas and different cultures.
It is our downtown.
Tom Morris, Denver
I noted with interest in Sunday’s Denver Post article on “Downtown at a crossroads” former Denver mayor Federico Peña’s strategy for recovering from the early 1980s economic downturn in Denver, which included “revitalizing downtown and the city’s neighborhoods, preserving historic buildings, cleaning up parks, reducing air pollution, curbing crime and bringing in Major League baseball.”
I think that would be an excellent program for addressing today’s economic malaise in Denver. I am especially intrigued by the idea of someone bringing Major League Baseball to Denver during the current economic downturn.
Steven Wallace, Lafayette
Recognize the benefits of reliable energy for our communities
As a native Coloradan raising my own family in Frederick, I’ve seen how the rising cost of living is forcing families to make difficult choices. My husband, a former educator in Firestone and now a local minister, works hard to provide for our family, but we feel the economic strain in our daily lives. Family trips have become fewer, our grocery bill has increased by over 30%, and day-to-day budgeting feels harder.
Reliable, affordable energy is critical to keeping life on track for families like mine, and the oil and gas industry has long been a backbone of our local and state economies. I worry that existing state and federal overregulation is pushing that industry, along with the economic stability it supports, out of reach. That’s why I participated in a recent telephone town hall with Congressman Gabe Evans, where more than 8,000 Coloradans joined to hear about the policies affecting our everyday lives.
Evans made it clear that he understands how important the oil and gas industry is, and he spoke about the need to reduce red tape, lower energy costs, and encourage domestic energy production.
Towns like Frederick have long benefited from responsible, in-state energy production. As families continue to feel the pressure of rising costs, it’s more important than ever for our leaders to prioritize policies that support domestic energy and the people who depend on it. I hope others in our community will continue to speak up and stand behind the workers and industries that keep our state running, not just for today, but for the generations we’re raising right here at home.
Rhianna Johnson, Frederick
Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.
