Senator Grassley,

You should know that I have voted for you in the past because I thought it was important to have seasoned lawmakers in our Congress, and I am deeply offended when you speak of ‘Biden’s failed policies’ in your weekly newsletters. This is divisive and inaccurate. These immigration issues are a result of unequal economies coupled with corrupt governance on both sides of the border, and they predate Biden.

There is no group that hates the cartels more than the people that have lived among them. It is their families that have been terrorized and murdered by these cartels and it is from these cartels that they have fled. As one parent said at a conference when we discussed the fear Americans have of illegal drugs, “Why don’t you Americans quit buying this s**t?”

Meanwhile, our governor says one thing and does another when it comes to immigration. She makes a big play of refusing to take in children orphaned by the cartels and sends national guard troops to the border while looking the other way as meat and poultry industries actively recruit and exploit undocumented workers. Your inability to convey any thought more nuanced than a Republican soundbite and your willingness to participate in the extreme partisan rhetoric that is destroying our democracy leave me feeling that you have lost all sense of integrity. If you have a real solution, put it forth. If not, step out of the way.