I READ Tuesday's Globe with disappointment and weariness. First, I saw the story about Andre Martins, the young man from Brazil who was shot and killed by a police officer on the Cape after he fled a traffic stop ("Police killing of immigrant challenged," Page A1, July 29). I then read about the Department of Justice report exposing how the Bush administration politicized the process of filling federal Immigration Courts ("Justice Dept. report concludes aides broke law," Page A2, July 29).
I cannot help but connect these stories. I practice immigration law. Among the immigrant communities in our region, there is a growing sense of fear of our government and a belief that it is impossible to receive fair treatment either at the hands of the Department of Homeland Security or in Immigration Court.
In the current atmosphere, people like Martins are more likely to make the wrong decision when confronted by law enforcement officials because they fear lengthy detention and believe that they will not receive a fair hearing. In this case, Martins's decision has caused his own death, and a young police officer faces investigation and must cope with the fact that he has killed someone in the line of duty.
The relationship between immigrants, documented or otherwise, and our institutions has not always been this way. We must restore a sense of humanity and civility to the enforcement of our immigration laws, and must restore confidence in the Immigration Court system.
WILLIAM E. GRAVES JR.
Boston
