Note to U.S. Customs, and Pete Hoekstra: your country has become an ugly, frightening place

I can’t go there anymore. Not to Ithaca in upstate New York, where I had my first university teaching position and remember it so fondly. Not to Vegas or Disney World. Not to Chicago, San Francisco, the high desert in California, Cape Canaveral, or anywhere else I’ve had a wonderful time in the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump in Tennessee on March 23, 2026.Photograph courtesy of the White House/official photographer Molly Riley

Opinion

BY CHRISTOPHER DORNAN

April 13, 2026

MEMORANDUMTo: U.S. Customs and Border Protectioncc: Pete Hoekstra, U.S. ambassador to Canada

To keep reading, subscribe and become a political insider.

Only $7.76 a week for an annual subscription.

Enjoy unlimited website access and the digital newspaper.

Cancel anytime.

Already a Subscriber?

Get Weekend Point of View Newsletter

A round up of the past weekâ€™s opinion writers and columnists on Saturdays and Sundays.

By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy