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Letters to the Editor for June 14, 2018

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category icon Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Demand halt to Trump immigration policy

Imagine you are a parent with a young child. Having taken a dangerous journey to the United States to escape violence or persecution in your home country, you arrive at the U.S. border — and your child is taken away from you. You may not know where they are going, how to contact them or even if you will see them again.

This is happening now on the U.S.-Mexico border, because of the Trump Administration’s policy of zero tolerance for people entering the U.S., including those legally seeking refugee status. We are inflicting emotional trauma on innocent children by forcibly taking them from their parents. In a strange new country where they don’t speak the language, children are ripped screaming from their parents’ arms. Why? Because the Trump Administration wants to deter other families from seeking refuge in the United States.

We should not allow the Trump Administration to take these evil actions in our names. Call your U.S. representative and senators and demand that they put a stop to this policy.

Geni Donaghey, Vancouver

Lid lift would help ECFR catch up to demand for fire service

I’ve been a firefighter with East County Fire & Rescue for nearly 11 years. We serve the unincorporated areas of east Vancouver, Camas and Washougal.

I’m very proud to be part of this organization. We provide better service than most agencies our size. This includes wildland firefighting and hazardous material spills, in addition to fire suppression and emergency medical service. We are a “small, but mighty” organization and consider it a privilege to come to work every day.

The purpose of my letter is to thank our fire commissioners for considering asking voters to approve a lid lift on the November ballot. Call volumes have increased 52 percent since 2007, inflation is increasing and revenue is not keeping up with the demand for service.

We hope you will participate in these conversations. The good news is that the lid lift would be the same amount voters have approved before. You can find more information on our website at ecfr.us.

Captain Danny Burch,
East County Fire & Rescue
Camas

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