My friend's words here are absolutely spot on:
"I was going to write something similar, but I am glad that some folks remember. I know how shocking some of these deportations seem, but they are not a Trump-ian innovation. This has BEEN happening... It's important to understand the context, not to discourage people, but to get folks to realize the country's deep problem with immigrants. This has been escalating for years and just rolling back to another Democratic Party president is not going to solve these issues. We have to reevaluate how immigrants are seen as a whole."
So true, so true. We absolutely need to understand that the cruelty of dehumanization, of inhumane laws and practices, of terrorizing and criminalizing our immigrate sisters and brothers has been going on for a very long time. It is time, far past time, for humanity to evolve. May we engage in an ongoing way of doing the hard work of opening our hearts and refusing to exclude anyone from our circle of caring and compassion. May we stand in protection of life rather than collude in any way in the perpetuation of its harm. — Molly
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Demonstrators in Hollywood in May support workers’ rights and immigrants’ rights. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) |
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| Protesters demonstrate for changes in front of the White House on Sept. 18, 2013. Alan Gomez, USA Today |
How do I know? Because in 2013, when Obama was president, I had two children in foster care, both with severe kidney abnormalities who were in my care because their mother was picked up by ICE. She was charged with neglect for leaving her 6 year old in charge of her 18 month old, after her daycare threatened to call immigration on her.
The children had serious medical needs, were both US citizens, and were receiving treatment here. Their father had been picked up and deported before the younger child was born, and had never seen his son except through a screen. Both parents overstayed visas because of their children's medical needs.
What happened? Exactly what you are rightly outraged about now - the choices were for the parents to permanently lose custody or take the kids with them back to their country where they were a persecuted ethnic minority and where there was no appropriate medical care to be had. ICE deported the whole family together.
I held the older child and told her that I didn't know what would happen to her, but that I would still be here loving her and caring about her, even if we didn't see each other again, and I would still have her pictures. I have no idea if she and her brother survived. And yes, I am angry that my government did that to her family.
I'm not at all confused about the fact that the lesser of two evils is lesser, and that's a good thing. But I am damned tired of seeing in comments people defending or excusing the Democrats for how they have enabled the fascist state we have now. If you were blind to it then, if you only are angry about fascism when it comes from a Republican, you are part of the problem.
This comes up all over. With Gaza. With drone strikes. With police states and cop cities. With masking and covid. With bird flu.
Guys, you were there. If you had eyes, you should have seen. And excusing your own party while fixating on the evils fo the other is not ok. Yes, I know that right now we have to fight the fashy fucks. But we also need to be honest about the mote in our own eyes.
We can understand that the Republicans are WORSE and still not excuse the shameful inadequacies of our only alternative. Because otherwise, if we do manage to overthrow the damned fashy fuckers this time, we'll just get some more of it in a different, prettier coat next time.
If you are personally invested in something, it is your responsibility to make it good, to reduce the harm it does, to protect the vulnerable within it, to make it live up to its principles. That is, if you vote Democrat (for any Democrat) you are not only obligated to fight the Republicans, but you are obligated to stand up against your own when they go wrong. That's integrity.
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