How the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act parallels today’s immigration raids | Opinion
Resistance is rising
“Unsubstantiated reports of ICE and CBP activity in Stanislaus County fuel fear, anxiety,” (modbee.com, Jan. 16)
In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act required all citizens to assist in capturing escaped slaves. Refusal or helping fugitives meant fines or jail.
Accused fugitives couldn’t testify or get a jury trial. Free Black people risked being captured and enslaved — even if they had never been enslaved.
The Act enraged the North, deepening the divide between the North and South, helping lead to the Civil War.
Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — under the Trump administration — has intensified efforts to round up people who crossed the Southern border seeking freedom. He called on the California National Guard, Marines and civilians to assist. Refusal could lead to jail or fines. Many have been detained, even if never undocumented.
These actions sparked anger in sanctuary cities, and resistance is rising. More protests loom.
Alvaro Franco
Ceres
Trump’s disregard to national debt
“Trump tariffs impact Modesto economy. City updates budget,” (modbee.com, June 6)
President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which primarily benefitted the wealthy, are responsible for a huge increase in our nation’s debt to gross domestic product ratio. Our current deficit stands at $1.8 trillion dollars.
Trump’s budget proposal includes an extension of these tax cuts for 10 years, along with new proposals for no taxes on tips and no taxes on overtime. Even while including the more than $1 trillion in spending cuts targeting antipoverty programs, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that the uncovered cost of the proposed budget would add $3 trillion of debt over the next nine years.
This is incredibly irresponsible. And to illustrate just how much Trump does not care about the deficit, he is significantly reducing Internal Revenue Service staff, likely leading to more tax fraud.
Warren Buffett and several other billionaires have signed a petition calling for higher tax rates for the nation’s ultra-wealthy. This is, in my mind, a patriotic gesture.
I remember a time when the Republican Party was known for its financially responsible policies. What we have now is shameful.
Kent Mitchell
Riverbank
Inheriting debt
“Is the Big, Beautiful Trump tax bill good for people in California over 65?” (modbee.com, June 9)
With President Donald Trump and his minions’ latest budget plan of increased spending and tax cuts, I’m afraid our children and grandchildren will unfortunately be left to pay off the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
J. Thomas Young
Denair
Gun violence in Merced
“Where can you carry a concealed gun in California? Here’s what the law allows and prohibits,” (modbee.com, Sept. 25, 2024)
Gun violence has become a devastating reality in our community. Here in Merced, we have felt the pain of losing neighbors, classmates and loved ones to senseless acts of violence. What was once considered a rare tragedy is now a recurring headline — and, for too many families in our city, a personal loss.
According to the California Department of Justice, gun violence continues to disproportionately affect communities like ours — underserved, over-policed and too often ignored when it comes to prevention.
We need common-sense gun safety legislation at both the state and federal level, and we need our representatives to treat this issue with the urgency it demands. This means fighting for universal background checks, implementing red flag laws that keep firearms out of dangerous hands and supporting violence intervention programs that actually work in communities like ours.
Keirah Jones
Merced