Trump’s treatment of Haitians is shameful | Opinion
Evil deportation
Donald Trump said it is now safe for Haitians to return to Haiti. Really?
Many Haitians have had to flee their homes and come to the U.S. to escape evil gang violence and anarchy while police there are greatly outnumbered and unable to maintain law and order. The murders committed by these evil gangs are heinous. Those who are already in the U.S. will meet the same fate when deported to Haiti.
What Trump is doing is similar to what former President Franklin D. Roosevelt did in 1939, when he denied entry to some 900 Jews who escaped Nazi Germany on the German ocean liner MS St. Louis. They returned to their own country and many of them died during the Holocaust.
Trump should be ashamed of himself for deporting Haitians to their own country during such dangerous times there.
Jack J. Russell,
Kendall
Soul Basel heals
Long after Miami’s 2025 Art Week fades, the art, artists and installations showcased at Soul Basel will remain. Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora’s (MoCAAD) 10th anniversary celebration at the historic Lyric Theatre and Plaza signals the future — not just of art, but of Miami as a destination for art, culture, technology and innovation.
This year’s Soul Basel looked less back than forward. I cannot recall the last time elected leaders from the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County and the School Board stood together to champion a small grassroots organization with such a wide-reaching vision for our community.
In the years ahead, Miami MoCAAD will help transform the former women’s detention center into a world-class museum — turning a place once tied to loss and confinement into one that celebrates freedom, creativity and healing.
Creating Miami MoCAAD as a living space for art, for women and for the global African diaspora in a tech-forward way is extraordinary. It is healing a deep wound in our community through art in the most literal way.
Kathleen Shea,
Miami
Guard under fire
Most Americans are opposed to the National Guard’s presence in major cities. In Washington, D.C., everyone acknowledges the Guard isn’t policing. Instead, they’re picking up trash and other functions city workers did before layoffs.
After the shooting of two National Guardsmen, rather than review the controversial program and make needed adjustments, the Trump administration has doubled down by sending 500 additional unnecessary troops.
We shouldn’t be surprised when incidents such as this shooting continue.
Sol Yanowitz,
Miami
Legal immigration
Another innocent victim was killed by an illegal immigrant in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 26. This has no reflection on our legal immigration system but sums up illegal immigration.
The best and most patriotic Americans I know are my in-laws from Nicaragua and my wife, as well as two of my very good friends and former police coworkers from Cuba (via Mariel) and Haiti. They all highlight the beauty and necessity of legal immigration.
We should never allow legal migration to be conflated with illegal. Some use statistics to justify their argument for illegals, stating that the murder rate is low.
If a jar of candy contained a thousand pieces in it and three out of each hundred is deadly poisonous, would you allow your child to eat the candy?
Miami-Dade County is now one of the best communities in the world — and it’s directly attributed to legal immigration. It’s beyond disrespectful to conflate the two.
Charles E. Nanney,
Pembroke Pines
Protein options
Re: the Nov. 26 story, “Where’s the beef? Miami Catholic food pantry appeals for help with holiday food shortage.” The work that Matthew 25 and other local food pantries are doing now is heroic. No one should face the holidays wondering how they’ll feed their family. We’re all grateful for the volunteers and donors who make sure people don’t fall through the cracks.
The reported shortage of meat and other animal-based proteins is worrying, but it’s also a reminder there are many healthy, affordable plant-based proteins that can help fill the gap without causing animals to suffer. Beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, tofu and even everyday vegetables like peas and potatoes are rich in protein, widely available and often far cheaper than beef or poultry. They store well, stretch far and can nourish families just as effectively.
Communities can support food banks by donating generously and by remembering that compassion can extend to people and animals. Supplying vegan proteins is one simple way to help feed more families while also choosing kindness.
Scott Miller,
Binghamton, NY
Words on a page
The Herald’s opinion page articles on Thanksgiving were great. The op-ed by Dan Rene, “Thankful for keeping politics to yourself,” which focused on enjoying the day with family, was uplifting, humanitarian and full of love.
Completely opposite was U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson’s op-ed, “Floridians will pay the price for the ‘Big Ugly Law,’” which was a hodgepodge of nonsense, full of half-truths and a tiresome repetition of the Democratic playbook. This was not an article for Thanksgiving.
Guillermo A. Martinez,
Coral Gables
Political renaming
So glad to see that a reasonable peace plan is being put into place in Ukraine. One major clause, however, was forgotten: “The country must be renamed ‘The Soviet Socialist Republic of the Ukraine.’”
Henry E. Marks,
West Kendall
D.C. tragedy
Donald Trump ordered more troops sent to Washington, D.C. due to the tragic shooting of two National Guard troops. This is not only dangerous, it is totally unjustified.
The shooter is not from D.C. He has no criminal record. He is not one of the people making D.C. a high crime area. He is exactly the kind of person Trump should have anticipated might try and kill Guard troops.
Trump put those troops in harm’s way. He made them targets. He is at least partially at fault for this tragedy. More troops could not have prevented this tragedy. Their presence may well have incited it.
Leon Botkin,
Miami
Eat less chicken?
Miami is full of people who care deeply about animals. We see it in our parks and beaches and in the way many of us treat our pets like family.
What about the animals that are out of sight?
I hadn’t given it much thought until recently, when I learned that egg-laying hens in factory farms spend their entire lives in cages so small they can’t stretch their wings. This drove me to investigate how to help.
During this season of holidays, many of us are deciding where to donate. When you consider the hundreds of millions of hens who spend their entire lives in such cramped cages, it’s hard to imagine a more worthy cause. Thankfully, even small donations can spare a remarkable number of animals from these conditions.
That’s why I support effective charities like The Humane League. Independent evaluators estimate they help protect about a dozen animals per dollar by pushing major food companies to phase out cruel factory-farm practices.
I hope fellow Miami residents consider supporting groups like The Humane League and help to end the abuse of animals in our food system.
Adam Francis Holt,
Miami
Commuter rail
Re: the Nov. 17 story, “South Florida commuter rail in limbo after latest ruling on Brightline lawsuit.” After many years, it is amazing that Miami-Dade County moved forward with the Northeast commuter train without an agreement with Florida East Coast Railway (FECR). No more money should be spent until agreement with FECR is signed with either Brightline, Tri-Rail or Metrorail.
The county’s engineering study appears to be worthless. Now a federal project will spend money on a new engineering study. A competent engineering study would include safety. Traffic constantly backs up on the tracks at Northeast 163rd street and other busy crossings feeding people to and from the beaches. Bridges and pedestrian bridges should be built over tracks and between the crossings.
Unfortunately, the county will probably spend a lot of money buying train cars and never have an agreement to run them on the FECR track. The county approved the Brightline passenger train that keeps killing people. The county and FECR should be blamed for the deaths, not Brightline.
If safety continues to be a problem, then get an estimate from Elon Musk’s Boring Company to build it underground. Humans lives don’t seem to mean much to our county government.
James Wall,
North Miami
Waste culture
Decades ago, most things were affordable. We didn’t always throw money at a problem. We improvised. People didn’t just throw away a car alternator. Instead, it was taken to a repair shop, where it was fixed at a much lower price than buying a new one.
Farmers got their hands dirty and used a trusty tractor. There was a surplus of food. Technology hasn’t made most things cheaper; it has created growing landfills. Not everything was easy, but we made do.
If cars are too expensive then stop building them. Cars are transportation, not entertainment centers.
Roger L. Robbins,
Sebring
This story was originally published December 8, 2025 at 4:42 PM.