Readers Write: Immigration, Bishop Budde, Trump’s mandate (or lack thereof)

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, from 2004 to 2006. I was there during a severe food shortage in 2005. My neighbors were desperately hungry and yet, on a daily basis, they shared what little they had with me. My experience being welcomed as a foreigner in Niger was incredibly humbling and ultimately motivated me to become an immigration lawyer. I practiced during Donald Trump 1.0. Now as we gear up for Trump 2.0, I feel sad. Sad that we as a wealthy, privileged nation, can’t find it in our hearts to treat the foreigners among us with more compassion and empathy. I’ve heard many horrific stories over the years about what immigrants have endured in their home countries that have led them to come to the U.S. These stories of courage and resiliency inspire me, and I urge more Americans to approach immigration issues with curiosity and concern for the human beings involved, rather than fear.

Anne Carlson, Minneapolis

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When I read the news in the Jan. 23 edition that the new president had issued an order suspending refugee resettlement (”Plans canceled for refugees cleared for move to U.S.”) I thought of an experience I had in the spring of 1992. Our family was in the process of moving back to Minnesota from Pennsylvania, and to Rochester, a new community for us. I had begun my new job as a clinical worker at Catholic Charities; my wife had remained in Pennsylvania with our two young children so our daughter could finish her school year. As I sat in my office late one Friday afternoon feeling sorry for myself about the lonely weekend ahead in my rented room, I heard a Vietnamese man talking excitedly with our receptionist in the lobby. Later that evening his wife would be arriving at the Rochester airport as a refugee, and they would be reunited after many years apart.

I do not know the details of their story, but they had become separated somehow as refugees and it had taken that long for her to get permission to come. It put my little problem in perspective. I never worked in the refugee resettlement program during my many years with Catholic Charities before I retired, but I had enough experience with the refugees who arrived through that program to know when I read the news that many people’s hearts are breaking. Refugee resettlement is different from immigration. The refugees who had been approved to come but are now frozen in place had gone through the proper process — what many people say they want in our immigration policy.

There are many people who voted for our new president who insist they are not opposed to immigration but believe we have not properly enforced our immigration laws. Some argue that immigrants deserve a more humane process, a point with which many of us agree. Frankly, I have not seen evidence that this is the point of view of our new president, his advisers or his most ardent supporters. Nonetheless, regardless of who we voted for in the last election, those of us who want an America where we still aspire to access the “better angels of our nature” must speak out when the new administration enacts policies that are cruel and unjust. The suspension of refugee resettlement is one example of that.

John McGuire, Rochester

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Among the many outrageous actions coming from the Trump administration, one of the cruelest is the suspension of flights to the U.S. for refugees who have been approved for resettlement here. These people have gone through extensive screening and preparation — often taking years. Some were coming to be reunited with family. They are fleeing persecution, war and other dangerous circumstances. They include family members of Afghans who helped the U.S. during the war. Can you imagine having gone through the extensive vetting process, waiting months or years, then the excitement of having your flight to the U.S. scheduled — and then having it canceled on a moment’s notice by Trump? He could at least have let those in the pipeline arrive, but he is cruel and shameless and cares only about himself.

Eric W. Forsberg, Golden Valley

At the inauguration prayer service, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde called upon President Trump “to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” Rejecting this plea to his better angels, Trump posted that night, on Truth Social, that Budde and her church should apologize to the nation: “She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way,” Trump wrote. “She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart.”

I, however, found her words quite gracious. She did not criticize the president’s new policies but asked him to demonstrate the virtues of kindness and compassion that we hope for from all government officials in the performance of their duties. Budde delivered her call for mercy with respect and humility that contrasts strikingly to Trump’s inaugural address boast that “my life was saved by God to make America great again.”

Religion and government are a toxic mix when it is used to gain privilege or government preference for one religion over any other (or over non-religion). But pastoring to the common good can encourage the moral character required for democracy. It is only then that Trump demands an apology to the nation.

George Francis Kane, St. Paul

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Kudos to the Right Rev. Mariann Budde. With President Trump sitting in the front row, she made a passionate plea for mercy on behalf of immigrants and the gay community. As one might expect, Trump called her a “Trump hater” and demanded an apology.

This reminds me of when Jesus spoke at the synagogue in Nazareth and quoted Isaiah’s pronouncement of “good news (for) the poor” and “release for the captives” (Luke 4:14-29). When those listening understood that Jesus was speaking on behalf of outsiders and foreigners, they were “filled with rage” and “drove him out of town.”

I believe that Budde’s sermon was just what Trump needed to hear. Her words were measured, compelling and thoroughly rooted in God’s love for all people. If only Trump had ears to hear and eyes to see.

Alan Bray, St. Peter, Minn.

The writer is a retired pastor.

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Many might not know that Bishop Budde served as a rector in Minneapolis prior to being elevated to her current position as bishop of Washington, D.C. (”Ex-Minnesota rector pleads for mercy for LGBTQ people,” Jan. 23). Prior to her leaving, I had asked Doug Fontaine, former dean of Saint Mark’s Cathedral, who he would recommend as a local priest. Without hesitation, he said “Budde.” It was a great tip. I have watched her performance, repeatedly, and I could not find a thing to apologize for. She hit on important issues that need to be discussed in the public forum. If too close for some, sorry!

Wesley Fitzsimmons, Minnetonka

In her Jan. 21 commentary, Preya Samsundar cites a slew of election statistics that, for her, add up to a “nationwide mandate” for Republicans (“Republicans were given a nationwide mandate. Now let’s get to work”). As a mathematician I appreciate these numbers, but care even more for the bottom line. Here’s a key bottom-line statistic Samsundar omits: It was close but, including all candidates and write-ins, more Americans voted against Trump than voted for him.

Nationwide mandate? Not even close.

Paul Zorn, Northfield

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I must be unfamiliar with the meaning of the word “mandate.” Everybody from Samsundar to the president is calling the results of the last election a “mandate.” Last time I checked, Trump’s margin of victory in the popular vote was 49.9% to 48.4% for Harris. A real victory? Yes. A mandate? Hardly.

Randy Sainio, New Hope