President Trump forces a constitutional crisis on America with deportations | Opinion

Our constitutional crisis is real

I agree with David Mastio’s April 16 opinion, “With El Salvador, Trump has become exactly the tyrant the founders warned about.”

Deporting someone without a court hearing is not justice. It’s not safe, and it goes against everything the U.S. is supposed to stand for.

Even if someone is under suspicion of being a gang member, they have a right to due process. That’s what makes a legal system fair, that’s what makes the United States. For the president to ignore a Supreme Court ruling, that’s telling everyone that the law does not apply to him. That’s tyranny, not leadership.

Some people may think it’s OK and back up this action because they believe it is keeping the country safe. But safety based on broken laws and ignored rights does not last. It leads only to a government that can do anything, to anyone. We need leaders who follow the law, even when it is inconvenient.

Trump’s refusal to obey the Supreme Court’s order isn’t just a political issue, it’s a constitutional crisis, and if Congress and the courts don’t take action, this won’t stop here.

Juan Hernandez Flores, Riverdale

Congress, time to stand up

Over two and a half centuries ago, 56 American delegates from 13 colonies signed their names to a document known as the Declaration of Independence. They knew that their signing of this radical and audacious document was putting their families and their own lives in danger, plus their fortunes, properties, businesses, and farms at risk. The penalty for treason against England and King George III was death.

And yet, these patriots chose to stand up against tyranny and the unfairness of being governed by a tyrant.

This was not an easy decision. Not all of the 13 colonies were in favor of this course of action. However, they came together as unanimous patriots because they had a sense of responsibility, and a clear knowing of the duty and honor that they were chosen for.

Where are those leaders today?

While we don’t expect them to put their lives at risk, we do expect them to get up off their bended knees, to institute the system of checks and balances put forth in the Constitution regarding the balance of power between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government.

To basically and courageously do their jobs.

Fred Oakes, Fresno

Solar owners are not the bad guy

In 2018 I purchased a solar power system for two main reasons. The first was to control the price of electricity in my monthly bill. The second was to help the environment by going green.

The utilities, with the help of the California Public Utilities Commission and members of the state Legislative are chipping away at the incentives that attracted me to the purchase of the solar power system. News articles explain that non-solar user’s electric bills are high because owners of solar systems don’t pay their fair share and that this pushes the cost to the non-solar user. This is a false narrative.

Solar owners have purchased or rent a solar power system with their own money. They provide surplus electricity to the grid during the day above what they have used in their own home or business. Owners of solar power systems are not the bad guy. They don’t make billions of dollars profit each year.

I pay approx. $12 a month for electric service. I received a credit of $7.06 this last February from my surplus of 228 kWh at true-up.

Read AB 942 that is being proposed.

David McGee, Clovis

Trump making us a third-rate country

Men with guns pounding on your door at 5 a.m. Men shackled and herded onto planes, not told where they’re being taken. Institutions of higher learning being attacked.

Using marginalized people as scapegoats. Pursuing your pet peeves, even at the risk of destroying the economy.

It seems like Donald Trump is trying to turn us into one of his “----hole” countries.

Gerhard G. Carrle, Fresno

Library programs must be saved

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the only federally funded program that supports museums and libraries in the U.S. They provide grants to help innovative programs exist which serve a wide range of communities — veterans, low-income areas, military families, those affected by natural disasters, and more.

Funding this important constitutionally supported institute translates to only 0.003% of the federal budget into programs and services used by more than 1.2 billion people every year. California alone was allotted $15,705,702 for the current fiscal year (2024-25), which are now in jeopardy due to President Trump’s termination and halting of IMLS funding as of April 2025.

Some programs provided grants within California include:

▪ Early learning & literacy programs for low-income families

▪ Summer reading initiatives

▪ Workforce-readiness skills

▪ High-speed broadband initiatives

▪ Respond and Recover Together (disaster preparedness)

With funding stopped, libraries are scrambling to find alternative means to continuing providing these already occurring programs. How can you help support the constitutionally supported funding of libraries? Call Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff to voice your support of IMLS funding, and share how libraries have impacted you or loved ones.

Visit https://action.everylibrary.org/saveimls2025 to learn more and sign petitions in support.

Samantha Steen, Hanford