Readers Write: Greenland, ICE in Minnesota, justice

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

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It appears that President Donald Trump is talking seriously about using U.S. military to take Greenland by force. This would effectively destroy NATO, put the U.S. in military conflict with our longest and best allies, and seriously destabilize the balance of power around the world, perhaps even leading to the start of World War III (“Trump’s threat to Greenland is a threat to NATO,” Strib Voices, Jan. 13). And for what? Greenland is a place governed by a friendly ally (Denmark), and we already have a military base there under a defense agreement with Denmark. Is this part of a plan to allow Trump’s pal Russian President Vladimir Putin to take over Western Europe?

For the sake of our own safety and security and America’s standing in the world, Congress needs to step up and stop this madness. At this point, only it has the power to rein in Trump’s abuses and fantasies of omnipotence. As Congress is currently entirely controlled by Republicans, I’m especially calling our own representatives, Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, Michelle Fischbach and Brad Finstad, to honor their oath of office (to support and defend the Constitution), grow a spine and do the right thing for Minnesota, the U.S. and the world.

Robert Kean, Minneapolis

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Of all of the actions or threats of actions that the Trump administration has made, the threat of taking Greenland by force is the most dangerous. My father and all four of my uncles were combat veterans of World War II (Marines, Navy, Army, Army Air Corps), and I am an Army veteran. In the face of large aggressors, alliances are indispensable. An attack on a NATO ally would be illegal and disastrous to that alliance. Denmark and Greenland have long made it clear that military bases on and mineral resources of Greenland are available to the U.S. without owning the island, so anything beyond that is unjustifiable. Congress must urgently step up and head off this alarming situation.

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The Trump administration’s threatened use of military force to acquire Greenland should strike chills in the heart of every American. As a matter of human respect and moral decency, 19th-century imperialism deserves no place in the politics of any nation with claim to democratic values or moral authority.

International relations is no child’s game of Monopoly, with territories as real estate properties to acquire. And just as we would not have China or Russia take over other countries by military force, neither should we. What does matter is diplomacy and alliances like NATO, the most important long-standing international security agreement we have, now dangerously weakened and threatened by the administration’s actions. Diplomacy could already have achieved U.S. strategic needs in the Arctic region, no bullying needed. Denmark and Greenland have both been receptive allies welcoming security and investment.

Nations and territories deserve respect as between two individuals. No decent person would say that it’s OK to force our will on another without consent. Greenlanders say no to Trump’s proposals to buy them from Denmark, and that should be clear enough. Turning to military force is abhorrent, shameful and immoral.

Respect for local self-determination and autonomy is a cornerstone of any civilized country. How we treat others will determine how others treat us. If we want to regain global respect and leadership, it’s time to reset America’s flickering moral compass or expect to be an outcast from the ranks of civilized societies for decades to come.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests and detainers of Native Americans here in Minnesota are a rich and sick irony (“Tribal leaders say ICE is detaining Natives,” Jan. 13). This is a shameful development that falls on the shoulders of not just President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security but also upon the U.S. Supreme Court. We must recall its appalling decision of last year, Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, which allows ICE to detain people simply on skin color, language and type of work. While the decision was a temporary order, it remains in effect, in spite of widespread criticism of its clearly being unconstitutional. No wonder so many people of color, even those who are citizens or green card holders, are afraid to leave their homes.

More truly, Native Americans should be arresting ICE agents as invaders of their sacred territory. The ICE agents have lost all sense of perspective and professionalism in light not only of the detentions of Native Americans but also the raiding of school grounds and the killing of Renee Good.

Robert Lyman, Minneapolis

The writer is a retired civil rights lawyer.

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Really? Does anyone still believe that trigger-happy agents with sketchy background checks, a $50,000 sign-on bonus and a quota to meet (and a court-ordained license to racially profile) care about whether the person they arrest is “a bad guy“? They are nabbing parents, leaving children and infants without caregivers. They’re taking individuals whose people were the original Americans, refugees here under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, taxpaying people working through the arduous process of becoming citizens. To all appearances, any “bad guys” detained would be purely accidental. To repeat what we all should know by now, the immigration system is a malfunctioning mess. Direct your anger at Trump, who in 2024 pressured Republicans to vote against a bipartisan immigration plan so that immigration could continue to be a divisive political issue. (Though both parties have contributed to the impasse, congressional Republicans have repeatedly blocked reform for the past 20 years.)

Let us allow peaceable, contributing immigrants to live their lives among us. We need them more than they need us. No one else needs to die on our streets to make Minnesota “safer.”

Kathleen Wedl, Minneapolis

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A Readers Write contributor (“Like it or not, ICE presence is legal”) rightly points out that ICE has the constitutional authority to be in Minnesota. With that authority, however, comes responsibility to operate within that same Constitution. ICE conduct at the Richfield Target (“Target employees detained by federal officers were U.S. citizens, legislator says,” Jan. 12), at Roosevelt High School (“What happened when Border Patrol agents showed up at Minneapolis’ Roosevelt High School,” Jan. 10), at the Whipple Federal Building (“Reps. Omar, Morrison, Craig denied entry at ICE detention facility,” Jan. 10), and, of course, on Portland Avenue and E. 34th Street are several of widespread examples showing ICE officers’ disregard of their constitutional responsibilities.

Kyle Nelson, Minneapolis

In a Jan. 10 column, Robin Washington uses the 1965 killing of Viola Liuzzo as an example where “federal authorities became the backstop when local justice systems failed” (“The feds were once the last resort for justice. Now, maybe not,” Strib Voices). There is truth to this statement, but the federal authorities were not completely blameless. Of the four Ku Klux Klan members in the assassin’s car, one was Gary Rowe, an FBI informant. Questions about his role were never completely resolved. Further, after the killing, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called Liuzzo a drug addict, out for a “necking party” with a Black passenger. He called her husband a “strong-arm man” for the Teamsters.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Vice President JD Vance are in good company where victim-blaming is concerned.

Arthur Guetter, St. Paul

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Imagine if the Capitol police officers had responded like the ICE officer. Over a thousand “patriots” would be dead.