To The Editor:

I just read the February 6 column by Heather Cox Richardson. She is a renowned history professor at Boston College, who writes a daily blog called “Letters From an American,” that keeps me informed of the previous day’s political events, and puts them in a historical context. I often find this aspect of her blog comforting. Yes, it is horrendous what is going on in our country right now, but we have weathered similar storms and I pray that we will weather this one. Only time will tell.

The blog illuminated something that has puzzled me. I have long believed that Trump would find a way to eliminate the immigrants that he has incarcerated in what he laughably calls “detention centers”. They really are like the concentration camps from World War II. Immigrants are reportedly beaten, denied food, and forced to live in filthy conditions. But I could never imagine how he could get away with eliminating all of those people. I only knew that he would not want to spend the money necessary to house or deport all of them. There are just too many.

The blog gave me the answer.

Apparently, Trump is denying medical care to the people housed in these centers, even if their situations are critical. They will die because they will not get the necessary care to save their lives. He doesn’t have to create gas chambers, or shoot them if they try to escape. Even he knows he couldn’t get away with that. This is his way out. And they have already started to die (ref: HCRichardson, Letters From an American, 2/6/26).

I know that many people will think I am crazy for thinking that our current government is capable of this, but think of what we have already experienced. Think of Minneapolis. Think of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

For the last 10 years, I have been disgusted by Trump’s inhumanity and disgraceful misogyny and bigotry. But as a Jewish woman who lost at least half of her family in the Holocaust, I can’t put into words how horrified I am that this is happening in my own country. I had hoped that I was wrong and that we were above this, but now I realize that we are not.

Lynn Hungaski

Newtown