Congressman LaHood,

History awaits you. Your father acted with nobility and reason, bringing the family name honor. You have, so far, not upheld that tradition. In fact, you have embarrassed and shamed your good name by parroting the line and policies of our despot-in-chief.

During an interview with a local TV outlet,

July 14, you said: “Well, I think you’ve seen that thus far. If you’ve seen the people had been sent back to their country of origin, it has been the criminals that have committed violent crimes.”

This is what the liar-in-chief and his enablers (including you) promised: We’re going after violent criminals. Instead, cases like the one reported below, make clear that ICE — the units afraid to show their faces, unwilling to get and serve warrants, working as state-sponsored vigilantes in the cities led by Democrats — are not focusing on violent criminals at all.

“ICE nabbed this L.A. grandma four months ago. This week she was reunited with family,” reads a Los Angeles Times story from October.

“Emma De Paz was working as a street vendor when she was detained by immigration officials during a raid outside a Home Depot on June 19,” wrote Melissa Gomez. “De Paz, who is undocumented, arrived from Guatemala 25 years ago and had for years worked as a street vendor, selling tamales, soup and roasted chicken to day laborers …

“This week, De Paz recounted how, when she was first detained, she was taken to the downtown Los Angeles immigration office. It was so cold there, she recalled, that she tucked her arms and head inside her blouse and used her face mask to try and keep warm. Immigration officials tried to get her to sign for voluntary deportation, but she refused. She wanted to fight to stay in the U.S., she said.

“For four months, she was held in the Adelanto Detention Center, which is about 90 miles northeast of the city. There she lost weight, being fed meals that sometimes included expired beans or ham, she said. Having been denied access to her medication, she said she felt the need to speak up about her unjust detainment and the conditions at Adelanto.”

Here illegally? Sure. A violent criminal in any way? Nope. Treated responsibility while in custody? Nope.

Plus, do you really believe that California, Illinois, Oregon have a more serious immigration problem than Texas or Florida? Nope. But of course, those two states have Republican governors; a perfectly logical, reason to not enforce ICE-style immigration in their states.

I can’t sign this. The crowd you support likes to punish opponents and I don’t have the institutional protections that you do. I’m a citizen in the Peoria area, raised a family here for more than 40 years, worked here, paid taxes here, voted here. My father was military; my step-father received a Purple Heart. I carried a military ID until the age of 18.

How about you find your moral compass and help save our democracy from the dictator-wanna-be? You could be an American hero instead of a sycophant. History will assign the truth and right now you are on the wrong side of it.

Wishing I could be respectful,
Citizen of Peoria County