Dear Iliad,

My name is Hogan Thatcher, and I am a junior. When I received the last school newspaper, my friends and I undoubtedly had some issues. Ginger’s article, “Year in review: The many unanswered promises of Trump,” was not necessary for a school newspaper and had false facts and claims.

It was a consensus among my friends (all across the political spectrum) that we would rather hear fact-based reporting, not commentary. There were many false claims in the article, but I will go over two of the most pressing: tariffs and ICE.

I do not agree with all the Trump tariffs, but it is not fair to him to say they have failed just yet. Tariffs are a long-term economic strategy, so do not expect good results right away. Ginger is correct in saying that tariffs are a tax on consumers. Consumers will have to pay the price at the start, but once business returns to America, more jobs and cheaper goods will be available. He has already brought in many high-profile companies, such as NVIDIA. Tariffs do have short-term benefits, though, as they brought in $289 billion in 2025, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Next, with ICE, you say that Trump has deported US citizens. In my research, I have found 0 verified sources that say that any adult US citizens have been deported under Trump’s second term. Some are indeed detained. ProPublica reported that 170 U.S. citizens have been held by ICE. This is very understandable when you learn that ICE is holding over 68,000 people. They are humans and are capable of getting things wrong. In terms of due process, illegal immigrants often don’t even need to go to a judge to be deported.

Thank you for your time.

– Hogan Thatcher