Letters: Gavin Newsom's funding threat sounds like simple extortion

"Gov. Newsom is acting like an extortionist. His threat to withhold university funding unless schools publicly oppose President Trump's demands is political coercion. Public universities should not be strong-armed into adopting the governor's preferred positions. Their mission is education and open inquiry, not serving as instruments of partisan pressure. What makes this especially troubling is the hypocrisy. Newsom built his political brand by criticizing Trump for using federal funds as a political weapon."

"The U.S Supreme Court issued a decision that clears the way for racial profiling during immigration raids and sweeps. Our hard-working Latino community was already on edge, and now this adds more fear. Here in the Bay Area, we see firsthand how our immigrant community has contributed to our cities and neighborhoods. The Latino community has helped build the culture and diversity of the Bay Area. ICE workers wearing masks and preventing people from seeing their faces strip our community of dignity."

Gov. Newsom threatened to withhold university funding unless campuses publicly opposed President Trump's demands, a move described as political coercion and likened to extortion. Public universities are characterized as institutions whose mission is education and open inquiry rather than instruments of partisan pressure. The action is said to contradict prior criticisms of using funds as political weapons and to erode credibility and effective governance. Separately, a U.S. Supreme Court decision is said to allow racial profiling during immigration raids, increasing fear among Latino communities. ICE tactics, including masked agents, are described as stripping dignity and criminalizing innocent individuals.

Read at The Mercury News