Let me get this straight: I love my country. I am proud to be a birthright citizen. I eat hot dogs and wear red, white, and blue wholeheartedly. I sing my heart out to our national anthem, and I love to learn about our independence, progress, and victories. I put trust in our system and I am grateful for the opportunities this country presents. It is my right, and my civic duty, to recognize that my government is oppressive.
America has been the “promised land” since the very beginning; a country built from immigrants, by immigrants, for immigrants. But now, our country’s very foundation is under attack.
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is a Federal agency within the Department of Homeland Security. The agency was established in the wake of 9/11, with the objective of increasing national security by enforcing immigration policy. Under the Biden administration, ICE focused on removing and prosecuting criminal immigrants. Under the Trump administration, ICE is instructed to deport on a large scale, with a focus on any and all immigrants– including those escaping from persecution, war, and danger. The entire department of Homeland Security has also been reimagined under both Trump administrations, losing focus on real threats and instead targeting foreign children and their parents for removal.
The Biden Administration issued countless executive orders to ensure the protection of immigrants. For example, executive order 14011: “Establishment of Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families” and, executive order 14010: “Creating a Comprehensive Regional Framework To Address the Causes of Migration, To Manage Migration Throughout North and Central America, and To Provide Safe and Orderly Processing of Asylum Seekers at the United States Border.”
These orders, among many with similar goals of equality and safety for documented and undocumented immigrants, were deemed useless and harmful by the Trump Administration. In one fell swoop, Trump rescinded 68 of Biden’s executive orders under the executive order 14148: “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.” A dramatic shift in government direction– such as this one– will never yield a stable government. But what exactly does this mean for us in the United States?
Without the guidance of Biden’s protective orders and programs, ICE is permitted and encouraged to act with little to no restrictions. Instruction has been given to direct ICE to search schools, places of worship, homes– places that were once deemed safe. Hospitals, funerals and weddings may be crashed, with easy access to specific individuals thanks to records, guest lists, and familial connections. According to The Washington Post, the deportation quota issued by Trump officials to ICE ranges from 1.2 to 1.5 thousand arrests per day.
There is no doubt that we have a border security problem. I am not denying that there must be changes to the system. Nonetheless, the Trump Administration is only negatively impacting the stability of our borders. Deportation and arrests are not by definition inhumane; they are necessary. But they cannot be the front lines of our security. Tackling the issue at the root would be the proper solution. This could be done by offering support to migrating individuals to ensure they have the resources to enter legally. However, Trump has cut these programs. For many, immigrating illegally is the only option. And once within our country’s borders, even if they are here legally, immigrants must continue to fight against our crooked policies, with no place to seek asylum.
Schools are a major point of ICE activity concern as they are vulnerable locations where parents and guardians have little to no control over their children. Public schools are truly under the searchlight. Private institutions have the ability to reject searches without judicial warrants, and are protected in some circumstances under the Fourth Amendment. However, public school campuses are more susceptible to government actions.
ICE is entering homes across the US, ransacking them, and detaining individuals. They arrive without warrants, and sometimes wearing regular federal agent uniforms, almost disguising their intentions.
According to a report in The Louisiana Illuminator, the Ali family, who resided in Louisiana, was told by ICE to fly from Louisiana to Texas to attend immigration court. However, upon their arrival in Houston, they were detained and deported to Honduras the very next day. The family had lived in the United States for 14 years and their youngest child had lived here for much of his life. Escaping gangs and violence, and looking towards a brighter future, the Ali family had tirelessly worked to prove their place and commitment to this country and seek asylum, but to no avail.
Many sources also report ICE shielding information on their arrests and policies, in order to protect their agents. For example, after a reported Homeland Security raid in Los Angeles in February, an ICE spokesperson released this vague statement to FOX 11 news on the matter: “Due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are not able to research and respond to rumors or specifics of routine daily operations for ICE.” This policy would be more understandable if only members of the public had reports or contact with our former employees and family members who have been deported. In February, ICE officers arrested nine employees from Tupper Lake Pine Mill in upstate New York. According to The Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the director of manufacturing operations stated that the company was allowed no direct contact with their employees after the raid.
If isolation weren’t enough, the White House feels it is necessary that the U.S population view these policies lightheartedly. There has never been a president of this country, or any country for that matter, who has deliberately “memeified” the uprooting of human life. The official White House social media account has made multiple posts on all platforms which leave me speechless. For example, “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight” or, their Valentine’s Day post, “Roses are red, Violets are blue, come here illegally and we’ll deport you.” These posts illustrate how desperate the Trump Administration is to gain followers from the younger generation. This is a perfect example of how social media can be utilized to brainwash and manipulate. By depicting important, and controversial policy in this way, the matter is significantly downplayed. This allows the horrific actions of ICE under the Trump Administration to blow right above our heads.
None of us are immune from falling into these traps; I know I am a victim of similar displays. It’s easy to stay silent, especially when anyone with any kind of outwardly progressive view on everyday matters is deemed as a “snowflake.” In 8th grade, any kind of social activism dreams were stamped from my mind, and seemingly many of my peers as well. But each year, and especially as I approach graduation as a senior, it becomes harder and harder to keep my opinions to myself. If caring makes me a “snowflake,” or a “drama queen,” I’ll proudly wear the title.
This is not about politics anymore. This is about the people who give us life. This is about our parents, our friends, our friends’ parents; the people who feed us, maintain our houses, and keep us healthy. This is about our employers, our employees, our neighbors, our community members, our pastors, our teachers. This is about our country.
I cry for our grandparents, for the women and men who spent their young lives begging to be heard, to be seen. I cry because we are still begging. Our words are still swept beneath the leather soles of the people we are told are greater than us.
So, immigrant. Before you send your child off to school, leave for Sunday Mass, or check into the hospital, hug your loved ones extra tight. Tell them to remain calm, tell them it’ll be okay. You can pray that the teachers, pastors, and nurses might protect you. You can dream that ICE might show a little mercy, because you’re just trying to start fresh. You’re just here escaping persecution and war; you’re here looking for healthcare. Hope that they won’t confuse you for a drug lord, or a terrorist because of your complexion. Try to suppress any urges to point fingers towards the good citizens of this country, some of whom happen to be rapists, thieves, tax evaders, and murderers. If their skin is lighter than yours, there is a good chance they can get away with anything. And, who knows, they may even be able to run for president– and win.
