To the Editor:
Re “Man Deported in Error Stays, 2 Leaders Vow” (front page, April 15):
The horror of the Trump administration has nothing to do with the foolhardy tariffs President Trump has been determined to throw at the world, and everything to do with the fate of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia.
The Trump administration has admitted that an administrative error caused the deportation of a legal U.S. resident, to one of the most notorious prisons in the world — this one in El Salvador. However, in defiance of the Supreme Court, the administration says it will not bring him back.
If we ever wondered about Mr. Trump’s intentions to become a dictator, we should wonder no more. What more effective way to claim power than to make innocent people realize they can be arrested and made to disappear with no recourse?
If you have not read “The Trial,” by Kafka, now might be the time, before we all start living the story.
Susan Shelton
Falmouth, Mass.
To the Editor:
The fate of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia affects us all.
The rule of law and of the right of due process are fundamental to this nation. Until Mr. Abrego Garcia is returned to these shores and receives his day in court, the Democratic Party, in both the House and the Senate, should cease all cooperation and stop any business going forward. If the party won’t fight for this principle, then what will it fight for?
John Llewellyn
Boise, Idaho
To the Editor:
I am outraged that our government has sent people who are legally in the United States to a prison in El Salvador without any notice or due process.
The highlight has been Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the man admittedly sent by mistake, who the administration says will not be repatriated despite a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return. But in fact, he and every other person sent to El Salvador were not deported. Deportation is a process that was definitely not followed. They were kidnapped. Why isn’t anyone being criminally prosecuted for kidnapping?
Nancy Salmon
Chapel Hill, N.C.
To the Editor:
While I admit that I have never understood what Donald Trump means when he says he will make America great again, I do know this: No country is great if it cannot secure the return of a legal resident it deported in error. Far from being great, the United States shows itself to be the opposite — nothing more than a paper tiger.
David Eisenman
West Hartford, Conn.
Harvard Stands Up and Fights Trump
To the Editor:
Re “Harvard Says It Won’t Obey U.S. Demands” (front page, April 15):
Thank you, Harvard University, for standing firm against the Trump administration’s demands to limit academic freedom.
This is exactly the kind of principled resistance we need in the face of blatant authoritarianism.
Institutions of higher learning have a duty not just to educate, but also to protect democratic values — and Harvard’s refusal is an example of the moral clarity we need.
More backbone like this, please, across the board — from other universities, law firms, public servants and civic institutions. When power is abused, silence is complicity. Resistance requires integrity, and that means saying “no” when pressured to betray constitutional norms or fundamental rights.
Harvard’s stance sends a powerful message: that truth, justice and academic freedom are not negotiable, damn the consequences!
Let’s hope this courage is contagious, sparking a wider movement of resistance from America’s institutional leaders across our imperiled nation.
Rochelle Lewis
Los Angeles
To the Editor:
As an employee of Harvard for more than 30 years, I have had plenty of reasons to grumble about some of its practices. But on Monday, when Harvard kissed off the Trump administration, I cheered. It came through.
It was a triumph — because whatever some folks may think of Harvard, it does know right from wrong and is willing to act on that knowledge. May all others who are hesitating take Harvard as their moral guide.
Anne Bernays
Cambridge, Mass.
The writer, a novelist, taught fiction writing at the Nieman Foundation and at the Harvard Extension School.
