Fear shouldn't replace facts in our national discourse: Forbes

The recent letter titled "True leaders unite the nation – they don't terrorize the nation" expresses heartfelt concern about the direction of the country under President Trump, and echoed themes of many other letters to this paper. While I agree that true leadership should foster unity, I believe that unity must be built on facts — not on fear.

One of the letter’s most alarming claims is that U.S. citizens are at imminent risk of being deported to foreign prisons. The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is cited as a warning—but the facts in his case are complicated and tell a different story. Mr. Garcia is not a U.S. citizen. He is an illegal immigrant with temporary legal status who is alleged to being an MS-13 gang member by the Maryland State Police and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency, whose job is to determine such things. The TN State Police suspected him of human trafficking and found that he was driving without a valid license, but no charges were ever filed as a result. His wife sought and received a temporary protective order against him, but didn’t show for the final hearing, so it was dropped. There are photos of his hand allegedly showing an MS-13 tattoo on his fingers. According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report, at the time of his arrest, Garcia was accompanied by three other men. One of these individuals was identified by police as having an extensive criminal history and being an active gang member. Another was linked to MS-13 based on information from a confidential source. The report also noted that Garcia was wearing clothing associated with gang symbolism and was in possession of a significant amount of cash.

The evidence against Garcia is admittedly all circumstantial but also directionally consistent. Under current law no reason other than being here illegally is required for deportation. Garcia seems to be a criminal and the Trump administration is prioritizing deporting criminal aliens.

Here's where his case gets even messier. In October 2019, Immigration Judge David M. Jones issued a deportation order against Garcia but simultaneously granted him "withholding of removal" status. While this order prevented Garcia from being deported to El Salvador due to fear he would be killed by a rival gang, another red flag in my opinion, it did not prevent his deportation to other countries. The error in his deportation was where he was deported to, not the deportation itself. The gang he was in fear of has since been broken up by the Salvadoran government so the Trump administration should (and likely could) have gotten the withholding order vacated. If he was to be returned to the U.S., the Trump administration would simply and immediately deport Garcia again—just to a different country, and this would all be perfectly consistent with his due process.

President Trump campaigned on a platform that prioritized mass deportation and is now enacting policies consistent with that mandate. I want illegal alien criminals deported, and so do most Americans. A Scripps News/Ipsos poll conducted in September 2024 found that 54% of Americans support the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, including 86% of Republicans and 25% of Democrats. Support for deportation dramatically increases when focusing on illegal immigrants with criminal records, as Trump is doing: A UMass Amherst poll from April 2025 found that a whopping 74% of Americans support deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records.

The other case cited in the letter was that of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk. Her case serves as a reminder that student visas are a privilege, not a right. Foreign nationals studying in the United States are guests and are expected to respect the laws and values of the country during their stay. Ozturk’s visa was revoked by the U.S. State Department following her co-authorship of a 2024 op-ed in The Tufts Daily that advocated for Palestinian rights and criticized the university’s position on the conflict in Gaza. While she was not criminally charged, the Department of Homeland Security accused her of supporting Hamas—a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. Although the primary basis for this claim was the op-ed, the case illustrates that student visas remain subject to State Department discretion, particularly when national security or foreign policy concerns are raised. In the case of student visas, accusations are enough. Why should we take chances with foreign guests?

We live in an age of sharp political divides, and it’s tempting to frame every policy President Trump implements as a moral or constitutional crisis. To suggest that President Trump is “one small step away from coming after ordinary US citizens for simply voicing dissent” because he is deporting illegal alien criminals and activist foreign students defies all reason. Such a progression would be a leap of gargantuan proportions, not a small step. We are nowhere near such a thing.

Political rhetoric can be inflammatory—on both sides of the aisle—and Trump is certainly not known for his verbal finesse. But hyperbolic language that suggests Americans should “peek out their windows” or “wait for boots to kick down the door” stokes panic rather than constructive engagement. Our Constitution provides strong protections for U.S. citizens, and our courts remain a critical check on any abuse of power—regardless of who is in the White House.

We have a responsibility to engage in public discourse that is accurate, constructive, and grounded in reality. That’s how we protect democracy—not by succumbing to panic, but by confronting truth with clarity. Much of the handwringing about President Trump, including Mr. Conlon’s letter, is not grounded in reality but rather in hysteria.

Alan Forbes is chair of the Portsmouth Republican City Committee.