2/17/25

In some good news regarding the immigration crackdowns detailed in the last post, ICE has been suffering some difficulty. Recent raids across the country have been unsuccessful in detaining migrants, with Tom Homan, Trump's "Border Czar", complaining migrants were too "well educated" of their own rights. He has specifically complained about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opening the Know Your Rights website, which offers legal information and aid to migrants. ICE had seen popular and legal opposition against their actions, limiting their impact.

Of course, they are still having an impact. Dozens of migrants have been arrested during these raids, with many being shipped to Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp. While the Trump administration claims these migrants are members of the Tren de Aragua cartel, evidence for that is often thin. Migrants arrested by ICE are often model citizens, with the family of one man, Jose Andrande, testifying that he actually came to America to flee the very same cartel he's accused of being a member of. These incidents highlight the fundamental issue with these mass raids- Burning down the forest will kill a lot of wolves, but it will also burn down the forest. Groups providing aid to migrants include The National Immigration Law Center, a group dedicated to providing legal aid to migrants.

Meanwhile, on a larger level, these raids came after Executive Order 14160, an executive order stripping birthright citizenship from migrants- Birthright citizenship being protected by the 14th amendment of the Constitution. Thankfully, this blatantly unconstitutional Order is being recognized as such. The federal courts of several states, including Washington, Oregon, New Hampshire, Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey have filed lawsuits against this order. While the fate of these lawsuits is in the hands of the courts now, the average American can still impact this. If you live in any state, but these states in particular, call or write to your representative or senator and convince them to support these lawsuits. While this may seem like useless advice, citizen lobbying can be incredibly effective. The National Rifle Association, a group with a claimed membership that amounts to 1.4% of America's population, has been able to overturn gun legislation by repeatedly and loudly voicing it's opposition- In one instance, calling the office of West Virginian senator Joe Manchin while he was supporting the Manchin-Toomey bill so often that their calls outnumbered ones supporting the bill 200 to 1. Said bill was then defeated. Making your voice heard matters because senator answer to you, they are elected by you, and must obey you.