Readers Write: The new pope, viral Rochester video, immigration

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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The Roman Catholic cardinals used their ecclesiastical ballots to elect an American to be the new pope (“A first: Pope from U.S.,” front page, May 9). President Donald Trump may claim it as a victory and proof of American superiority. But I feel the cardinals voted for the pope, who chose the name Leo XIV, with the purpose of challenging Trump to become more Christian in executing his office as the president of the United States.

Leo XIII was famous for writing about the exploited, the immigrant and the political refugee. It is possible the cardinals chose an American to be pope to strengthen the voice coming from Vatican City. The early commentators are saying Leo XIV will continue the environmental views of Pope Francis. He will continue to be a voice for the poor. He will continue the call for justice at all levels of society.

I am excited to see a man from Chicago rise to be pope. Not because we are so proud, but because we will have to listen to an American call for us to be more humble.

Larry Kiewel, St. Peter, Minn.

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How embarrassing! As newly elected Pope Leo XIV waved from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, a conga line of Americans snaked its way through the cheering crowd yelling over and over: “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” While indeed noteworthy that Pope Leo is the first American to be elected pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, raucously tooting the American horn seems to miss the point. Pope Leo XIV is not America’s pope; he belongs to every nation under God. That’s something worth celebrating!

Alan Bray, St. Peter, Minn.

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I am relieved that the cardinals have chosen a man from the United States to be the new pope. Perhaps Pope Leo XIV can help reassure the rest of the world that not all Americans are as bad as the fools in the Trump administration. Either way, the late Pope Francis has left Leo with some very big shoes to fill. I hope he fills them.

Jonathan Blehert, Minneapolis

What are we doing? How is it possible that more than 70 years after the start of the civil rights movement, someone can spew such hatred at a child and still manage to walk away the beneficiary of public sympathy and full bank account? (“Rochester leaders seek charges for woman in racist viral video,” May 7.)

I’m referring, of course, to the viral video of a white woman, Shiloh Hendrix, shouting racial slurs at a little Black boy while holding her own child in her arms. At first, and rightfully so, the video seemed to shock the nation. After all, Hendrix didn’t just call a child a slur. She didn’t just mumble it under her breath. She shouted it. Repeatedly. Loudly and proudly. When confronted by a bystander who had the guts to challenge her, she doubled down. This wasn’t a moment of confusion or misspeaking. It was a vile, intentional and racist act.

Hendrix did not offer a sincere apology. She did not show remorse. Instead, she performed a master class in how to play the victim and pivot the spotlight. She turned hate into hustle. She started her own crowdfunding campaign claiming she was in a “dire situation.” And it worked. She’s being paid. Big time. At this writing, it’s nearly $750,000. Not because she is homeless or sick or lost everything to a natural disaster. No, it’s because she flipped the script and America lost the plot.

Hendrix claimed she was the real victim. She apparently needs to heal from the trauma of her own behavior. We apparently live in a country where accountability is optional, and victimhood can be spun out of thin air. America responded and opened its wallets and rewarded racism with a fundraiser.

This woman didn’t just say something offensive. She modeled hate for her own child to see. She stood in a park meant to honor veterans and attacked a little Black boy with a word that carries centuries of pain. And now she’s going to a new home on the backs of people that felt sorry for her? When racism turns a profit, the moral debt falls on all of us.

Brandi Bennett, St. Paul

Rather than spend $1,000 per person for those here illegally to voluntarily deport (“Cash offered for ‘self-deportation,’” May 6), why not instead make this much money per person and achieve the same goal (decrease the number of “illegals”) by bringing back an old law from 2000, called the Immigration and Nationality Act 245(i).

Under this provision of the law, which sunset on April 30, 2021, if you paid an extra $1,000, you could stay here in the U.S. and apply for a green card based on marriage to a U.S. citizen, for example, rather than having to depart, which triggered (and still does trigger) a 10-year bar before you can re-enter to rejoin your family (if you entered illegally and have been in the U.S. for one year or longer), unless you qualify for a waiver in the government’s discretion.

Understandably, when 245(i) was in effect, it persuaded many people to voluntarily come forward and file applications for green cards. This created a legitimate way to “get in line,” to fix immigration problems while keeping families together. If we are looking for ways to economically bring down the number of undocumented people in this country, bring 245(i) back. Deporting 11 million people is difficult and expensive. 245(i) is an income-generator and not rocket science. We have done this before, and it worked.

Caroline Ostrom, Minneapolis

The writer is an immigration attorney.

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An April 27 letter writer blames Gov. Tim Walz, the DFL Legislature and “illegal” immigrants for the cut of disability services and taxes. As the executive director of the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, I have the honor of working with legislators across both aisles on advancing legislation that impact Latinos across Minnesota. We acknowledge the contributions that Latinos bring to Minnesota, documented or undocumented.

The assumption that undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes has long been debunked. The Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service agreeing to share sensitive taxpayer data on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement affirms that the federal government acknowledges undocumented immigrants as taxpayers. Numerous reports and studies have data-driven findings of the economic contributions of undocumented immigrants, including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, the Pew Research Center and HACER Minnesota, among many.

Undocumented immigrants are taxpayers and pay $214.1 million in state and local taxes. Immigrants influence the economy by driving innovation, building businesses and by diversifying our essential workforce markets. This rhetoric of “illegal” immigrants using Minnesotans’ tax dollars is blatantly false.

What the writer does acknowledge well, though, is that the need for affordable health care is beyond what was originally estimated. It goes to show that we live in a state in which people feel safe to seek the health care they need, making Minnesota the best state in which to raise a family.

Rosa Tock, St. Paul