4/1/25

         In a recent PR visit to CECOT, a Salvadorian prison notorious for abuses, Kristi Noem acted with all of the empathy that should be expected of her, promising anyone and everyone arriving here illegally would be "[R]emoved and prosecuted". Of course, the Trump administration has brought it's characteristic incompetence and cruelty to this matter. Accusations against the immigrants arrested for connections to the Tren de Aragua cartel are dubious at best and obvious lies at worst. This string of ICE raids has led to the arrest of Neri Alvarado on the basis that he had a gang tattoo. The tattoo claimed to be the mark of a gang was an autism awareness tattoo he had to honor his autistic younger brother. Another man, a Salvadorian named Abrego Garcia, was recently identified as a gang member because he wore a Chicago Bulls hoodie and hat. He was arrested and deported to the aforementioned Salvadorian prison despite him being in America for fear for his life because of threats from Salvadorian gangs. Not only is this immoral, but it is also illegal, as he had been protected from deportation to El Salvador by a judge in 2019- in fact, these deportations are illegal as a whole as Judge James Boasberg had them blocked. The Trump administration has claimed that these people cannot be returned to America because they are in Salvadorian custody. The Trump Administration, which has seriously proposed a mineral deal that would reduce Ukraine to a client state and that has denied Canadian nationhood, cannot lift a finger to return these people to America.

    This naked defiance of judicial authority is part of Trump's simple but seemingly effective plan to defy checks and balances on presidential power by ignoring them. A stand must be taken against him. If you can, donate to groups that defend migrate rights, like the National Immigration Law Center, or spread information about groups that inform migrants of their rights, like AOC's Know Your Rights website. You can contact your representative in the Senate or House and make it clear you oppose these acts. If you don't know who your representatives are, you can use Congress's Find your Member web page. If you want to involve yourself in more direct action, you can join the 50/50/1 movement, a general anti-Trump movement which will be hosting another nationwide protest on the fifth or use Mobilize, a website that organizes activism, to find a protest or movement you can join.

    In happier news, the Wisconsin judicial election has been completed by 89%, and the election has been called in favor of Judge Susan Crawford. This is despite Elon Musk, who has been involved in many conservative campaigns across America and beyond, pouring more than $25 million into Brad Schimel's campaign. This election proves how unpopular Trump and his clique have become, as Wisconsin had been flipped to Trump's side during the 2024 election campaign, and is a reminder of the power of the popular vote in every election, not just those of the president or the midterms. Research your state, county, and city elections to learn where you can make your voice heard- if you are too young to vote, you can pre-register to vote in every state but North Dakota. The Vote America website provides information on how you can pre-register in every state that you can. If you want to participate in your civic duty, or know someone who wants to, use the website to do so.

    Meanwhile, I'm afraid that going forward, I will have to commit part of this blog to information on the measles outbreak. It has become a national concern, with over 500 cases being reported across 20 states and D.C., with serious case numbers in Texas, New Mexico, and Kansas. America has suffered it's first measles deaths in a decade, with one man killed in New Mexico and one child killed in Texas, which is, for context, too many. Dr Ashish Jha, who served as the White House response coordinator during the covid pandemic, has stated that, "We are likely on track to have the worst measles outbreak of this century". NBC has published a map updated on a biweekly basis that you can use without subscription to track cases across the country. If you need to, please get yourself or your children a vaccination or booster shot of the MMR vaccine. Do not take the advice of RFK Jr and take vitamin A and cod liver oil to treat the disease- both of those can cause liver failure, which could kill you on its own and could weaken you enough to be killed by measles or another disease. If it comes down to it, please be prepared to socially distance and wear masks, as while mandates may not occur with this administration, the danger is no less present.

    God bless America.