Robert Victor Peters, whose June 4 letter shames Mennonites in Elkhart County, Ind. [for not protesting a rally for President Trump], seems to need an excuse to leave the Mennonite church, but his reasoning is flawed. The county’s population is about 205,000. About 9,000 of those are Mennonite, and 500 are Beachy Amish — about 5 percent of the population, a significant but small minority.

Peters seems to have missed the huge wallop Elkhart County gave to one part of the Trump agenda. Earlier this year we defeated a proposed 1,400-person immigrant detention center planned by a for-profit company. This was a huge victory for immigrants. Various faith communities and many industries came together to make sure the detention center never happened. This victory received scant media attention, and in none of the accounts I saw was the significant part played by the faith communities ever mentioned.

The Mennonites I know are aghast at the Trump agenda. I know people who have started resistance groups and work tirelessly to protect people in trouble and make a significant difference in lives. A Hindu friend has said one reason Elkhart County is a good place to live is because of the Mennonite influence.

Joann Smith
Goshen, Ind.