I would like to comment on the article, “In American life, a growing and forbidding visual rises: The law-enforcement officer in a mask,” (Herald, Jul. 18). It's about immigration enforcement agents wearing masks.
The author compares the masked agents to bandits and even to the Ku Klux Klan.
Those are harsh words but everyone is entitled to their opinion. What gets me is this was not printed in the opinion pages. It was printed in the news section.
The border agents and the arrests of the immigrants are a very contentious topic. I too think U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is going too far but these policies are those of the president and not the individual border agents.
Because of the extremely volatile situation, I believe the agents should be wearing masks for their own safety.
Look at the news. Eleven suspects opened fire on a Border Patrol facility in McAllen Texas.
In California people were throwing rocks through the car windows of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a marijuana farm. Someone was also filmed shooting a handgun at the agents.
If the border agents didn't have masks and had to have name tags they could be ambushed at home.
These masks are for their safety.
David Norman
Durango
