I never imagined our country would be in this position. And yet, here we are with the 2026 version of the gestapo killing citizens and dragging suspected immigrants off to detention centers without regard to their legal status. I never imagined that our government would encourage ICE agents to ignore laws and to brutally attack citizens who exercise their constitutional rights to free speech and to peacefully assemble. The courts have explicitly said that citizens have the right to videotape the actions of ICE, and yet ICE repeatedly rejects that right.
I never imagined that our government would lie about citizens whom they have injured (or murdered) to excuse the brutality of their under-trained violent and thin-skinned ICE agents who violate the civil rights of citizens and the human rights of black and brown suspected immigrants. To be clear, they aren’t going after criminals as they proport; they are going after large detention numbers, especially if the detainees are people of color. This is about ethnic cleansing. The architects of this policy and those who endorse it envision a nation that is whiter and continues to be dominated by white males. They fear diversity. They fear equity. They fear inclusion. They realize that the majority of white people are far too insecure and incompetent to compete in the classroom and the workplace on a level playing field, so they are trying to protect their privilege. The rich white men in power are using their power to hang perpetuate a myth of their superiority. A quick observation of the silence and inaction of Republican leadership, corporate leaders, and military leaders tells us everything we need to know. Their silence and inaction are complicity.
But it will not work. The Trump assertion that might makes right, is crumbling before our eyes as principled people, artists, intellectuals, journalists, judges, and leaders around the world join together in opposition to his bullying. Some prosecutors, politicians, and FBI agents are simply quitting. We the people are joining hands in opposition to the tyranny that is trying to take root in our communities and our country. The opposition is not quiet.
I’m glad the Super Bowl is featuring Bad Bunny and Green Day. Both speak openly against the tyranny of Trump. Actors at award shows have a lot to say. Comedians aren’t holding back. I’m glad that Trump is booed when he shows up to public events. I’m happy to see the rise of independent media outlets to report the news since Trump co-opted traditional media outlets like CBS. I admire the people of Minnesota who have bravely taken to the streets to protest the ICE disruption and terror in their state. They are protesting in sub-zero temperatures. They are confronting ICE and taking videos of their lawlessness to inform the nation of the danger to our morality and our freedom. The crowds are notably filled with white people standing up against a white suprematist agenda.
What has made this country prosperous is our diversity. People from all over the world have contributed innovation, blood, and sweat to build this nation from the ground up. Americans from all backgrounds have fought in our wars. Notably, the billionaire president was himself a draft-dodger. The continued hypocrisy on so many fronts is appalling. It is clear that those who claim this nation was built solely by white people and for white people are either dishonest or delusional. Those choosing to bury the atrocities of native American genocide, of slavery and Jim Crowe, and the years of Chinese exclusion and Japanese internment camps are dishonest. We won’t allow history to be erased.
In addition to this, there are those who cling to the belief that white people are inherently better than others. If they would only open their eyes to see the reality that talent, intelligence, ambition, grit, courage, and creativity are distributed across the entirety of humanity and our strength has come from welcoming the best and the brightest and the hardest working to our country. We are a nation of immigrants. We have benefited from having people of all backgrounds embrace our country. And yet, it burdens and threatens enough white people to observe black, brown, and yellow excellence.
So, I stand with the white people of Minnesota. I will resist the anti-immigrant narrative and the ethnic cleansing of our country in whatever way possible. Even though it is difficult to watch, I will spend time each day watching the videos taken by brave citizens intended to keep us informed and to sound the alarm. I will not turn away or be silent like the citizens of Germany when Hitler was rounding up the Jews. Just like the Gestapo, ICE will begin going door to door. In a nation of 300 million people, it is estimated that 11 million may be here illegally. And honestly, only a tiny percentage of them are dangerous criminals. The rest are hard working. They are contributing to our local economies and paying taxes. It is a lie that they are voting. Every cost analysis we have has shown that they are contributing more to the economy than the few benefits they are getting.
Like any reasonable person, I am bothered by the constant lying coming from government officials. I am bothered by the mischaracterization of immigrants. I am more bothered that a third of the country are either unaware or so gullible or so filled with prejudice that they’ve embraced xenophobia and the brutality it causes.
It bothers me even more that our tax dollars are being used to fund lawless brutal ICE agents. If there was a way to withhold my tax dollars from being wasted by this ridiculous government under Trump, I would. For now, I’m willing to peacefully protest and to write to our representatives to express my displeasure with our tax dollars being used to fund ICE. I’m willing to boycott corporate media outlets in favor of independent media. I’m willing to help fund organizations that fight the lawlessness in court and the organizations that organize peaceful resistance efforts. And I’m willing to vote wisely this November to elect men and women who will defend our nation from this tyranny and hold these ICE thugs accountable.
I know there are people who are willing to take this further. I’ve seen the fully armed Black Panthers walking the streets to defend against ICE. The terror and lawlessness of ICE agents must end before bloodshed erupts across the nation. This is a country with more guns than people and a second amendment that protects the right to use that gun in self-defense. Imagine masked ICE agents breaking down a door without a warrant and being greeted by gun fire. It’s not far-fetched.
It is our responsibility to collectively reject Trump’s demand for a 50% increase in military funding. He wants our tax dollars and our children’s lives to fuel his imperial ambitions, not deliver healthcare, housing, infrastructure, and a safety net for Americans. Trump is an egotistical bully who wants to rule other countries and steal their resources to line his pockets and those of his billionaire buddies. And he is willing to use his power to silence us into submission with his private police force: ICE. If he is allowed to continue, the blood shed that ensues will be that of the average citizen, not his family members.
However, he has learned nothing from history. In fact, if reincarnation was a thing, I would wager that Trump is the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. His instincts are no different and I pray that his demise in disgrace will be no different. I also pray that this time we the people do not allow him to drag the entire nation down with him. It’s beginning to look like his failure is eminent if we continue to loudly resist.