Comparing U.S. illegal deportations with holocaust goes over the top

Scare tactics are often used to influence people, who don’t see the context.

Jim Doyle’s letter (Nov. 20) is an example. He attacks Donald Trump’s promise to deport illegal aliens by a reference to the Jewish holocaust. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are cast by him as Schutzstaffel (SS officers). Excuse me, but isn’t that a little over the top?

Taken out of its historical context, however, Mr. Doyle’s analogy might almost be believable.

How can anyone think of separating families by sending illegal parents to their home country, or hindering 10,000 refugees from the Middle East from coming in? Where is the compassion?

But, taken in context, the issues are clearly more complex. There are other considerations, such as law and order and a nation’s sovereign borders, to say nothing of protecting a nation’s citizens.

Without law and order, we will soon have chaos (which laws are to be obeyed?); without borders, we have no national security. Consider the recent events in Paris! Open borders are efficient, but also an invitation to lawbreakers!

Mr. Trump’s approach may be rash, but he is at least addressing the problem.

The solution is, of course, more complex, but Mr. Doyle’s comments are also counter-productive.

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 6:48 AM with the headline "Comparing U.S. illegal deportations with holocaust goes over the top."