Dear Senators Curtis and Lee,
As your constituent and a fellow Utahn, I am writing to express my deep concern about your
silence in the face of increasing government overreach and apparent violations of constitutional
rights by the current administration, including violations of the First Amendment, the targeting
of individuals based on political speech, the circumvention of legislative and judicial checks on
executive authority, and the erosion of due process protections.
You are members of one of the most exclusive and august legislative bodies in the world. The
U.S. Senate is held in the highest regard internationally—not simply because of its power, but
because of its historic role in advancing and protecting democratic ideals. That legacy is now
under direct threat, and I am urging you — as individuals who swore an oath to support and
defend the Constitution — to stand up and be counted.
As a Jewish American whose parents fled Austria and Berlin in the 1930s to escape the Nazi
regime’s sudden and total consolidation of its authoritarian power, I am especially appalled by
the parallels I see today. In one of the clearest echoes of that era, former President Trump has
now twice invoked the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act — most recently in March 2024 —
declaring a fabricated “foreign invasion” by gangs like MS-13 to justify stripping noncitizens of
habeas corpus, due process, and basic civil liberties. This is not speculative: it is a deliberate and
active abuse of executive power. I am particularly appalled at the Senate’s complicity in the
executive branch’s subordination of its two co-equal branches of government: the legislature and
the judiciary. The parallels are deeply disturbing. Silence and inaction from our elected
representatives in the face of authoritarian behavior are not only dangerous but historically
damning.
How can you remain silent while individuals like Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia — and others
subjected to the same extrajudicial detention, forced rendition, and abandonment in a notorious
foreign prison — are blatantly deprived of their constitutional rights? Or while Mahmoud Khalil
— whose views I personally find abhorrent — is nevertheless unlawfully detained and silenced
in violation of his First Amendment rights? The principle of free speech must not be subject to
political litmus tests. That applies equally to Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk, whose abduction
and detention appear to be clear violations of her constitutional protections.
The Constitution does not grant the executive branch the authority to choose who is protected
and who is expendable. Its guarantees are universal — or they are meaningless. It is not
acceptable for this or any administration to determine who qualifies for protection under the law based on ideology, background, or political affiliation. If this becomes the standard, then none of
us are safe from the reach of an unchecked government.
I urge you to take a clear and public stand against the alarming autocratic drift we are witnessing.
Failing to do so is not only an abdication of your duty under your oath, it betrays the founding
principles of the Republican Party — a party born from a moral stand against the abuse of power.
Your legacies are being written now — not by your words, but by your silence. History will
remember who defended the Constitution when it was tested and who stood by while its
foundations were weakened. The erosion of civil liberties is not theoretical; it is happening in
real time, on your watch. As a citizen whose family fled tyranny in Europe, I know too well how
fragile freedom becomes when good people choose political safety over moral clarity. You have
both the authority and the responsibility to speak out. I urge you to act — before your inaction
becomes complicity, and before your legacy becomes one of regret.
Respectfully,
Jonathan Spira
Constituent, State of Utah
Jonathan Spira is a Salt Lake City–based consultant and financial strategist with over 25 years of C-level finance and strategy experience in enterprise software, internet, EV, and cybersecurity sectors. He has served as CFO for both private and public companies and previously held strategy roles at Nestlé, PepsiCo, and the Walt Disney Company. He holds an MBA in Finance from Cornell University and a BA in Economics from Kenyon College.
