Editor’s note: This letter was addressed to the Plymouth Select Board and sent to the Independent.
I am worried about Plymouth and how what was once a welcoming destination for visitors, tourists, and families is now a place to avoid, as it is terrorized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operatives invading our waterfront, tourist attractions and neighborhoods, and kidnapping our hard-working, law-abiding coworkers and friends.
We know the current administration hates the blue “woke” economies that support their poor red states, and one would think that they’d understand that attacking our immigrant community, the backbone of our economy, is not only un-American but against their best interests. Who would want to come to Plymouth knowing they could be profiled and snatched from our streets because their skin is brown, or they speak with an accent? This is not who we are.
The Plymouth police are in a tough spot. It seems ICE extends the “courtesy” to Plymouth County sheriff and our local police of informing them when, but not where, ICE will be in our neighborhoods. I guess the logic behind this is that if Plymouth police know when ICE is in town, “public safety” is enhanced by their not interfering, and our police are less likely to respond to calls for help with kidnappings and abductions. Which part of the public is included in this public safety? Certainly not international waterfront visitors and residents of North Plymouth. And I think it’s worth mentioning that our Plymouth County sheriff, Joe McDonald, who holds Massachusetts’ only incarceration agreement with ICE, is shown in uniform on video attending a vigil Friday night for a…right wing “influencer” who said mass shooting deaths are “worth it” to have the Second Amendment. This is not who we are.
How can Plymouth be recognized as an International City of Peace next week when so many residents are frightened to leave their homes to go to work or the store for fear of being kidnapped and detained without due process?
Please note that my letter above reflects my personal views and concerns and does not speak for any associations or groups to which I belong.
With that in mind, I submit to you this resolution with hopes that our local leaders and elected officials will sign on and affirm it. The Town of Barnstable recently had the courage to adopt a similar resolution, and I hope Plymouth will follow suit.
– Heidi Mayo