Letter: All Ben Cline wants to do is ‘monitor’ abuses of power, not do anything about it

Yesterday, I phoned Congressman Ben Cline’s office and asked three questions:

• How many people from the Sixth District are in ICE custody?
• How many has Mr. Cline visited in detention?
• What is his position regarding ICE detention facilities in our district?

Soon I received a reply by email. It surely was a form letter, being almost identical to a message I received on Jan. 14.

Mr. Cline failed to answer any of my questions. Regarding Alex Pretti’s homicide, he stated, “the death of an American citizen during a confrontation with law enforcement is a tragedy.” It is a tragedy when any innocent person – regardless of citizenship – is killed or injured by law enforcement.

Mr. Cline offered to “monitor developments closely.” Yesterday he missed an opportunity to do so. Two young women, both U.S. citizens, testified before a congressional committee about the severe injuries they received when arrested by ICE. Two brothers of ICE homicide victim Renee Good also testified.

Ben Cline was not alone in his deliberate ignorance. Not one Republican member of Congress attended the hearings.

We do not need a representative who steps aside and passively “monitors” government abuse of power. We do not need a representative who avoids his constituents and bows down to a wannabe dictator.

We need a representative who will stand up for equal protection of the law for everyone. Fortunately, we can choose among four strong candidates in June’s Democratic primary.

Letter from Reese Bull/Mount Solon