Thanks for another brilliant piece. Indeed it’s hard to watch immigrants (in many different communities) refer to what’s being done by the Trump administration as fine. Many of it is older people who seem to accept the racial underpinnings of much of the current immigration regime.

Note how justifications for what’s being done fall under “rights of a country” yet that country, with a constitution, says that there shouldn’t be “cruel and unusual punishment”. Isn’t destroying a family (of citizens as you pointed out, but even otherwise) for minor crimes cruel and unusual? A modern nation-state must be about its laws not some blood and soil chanting.*

And to your point on even citizens being targeted by hate crimes (on the rise in Trump’s America) as a form of control; I sense that many know that something like ethnic cleansing is possible, so why not make sure you’re not making waves? I suppose even I understand that thinking, but like you said, we have to unite.

I think there’s even a move to denaturalize some citizens. And since it’s being done through a civil process intent does not need to be proved (so the old way of deporting only citizens with major war crimes they never did etc has gone by the wayside).

All in all it points to a way not only of making people illegal but to make certain races afraid and second class citizens who are never safe. And if they are safe, it’s only when a regime says they are (granted). Arendt pointed out that the first move for a criminal regime is to make that fact of citizenship known.

*And make no mistake, it is that. My favorite thing to point out to people who are on the fence about this is how some white people are born off grid have no papers whatsoever. Yet they are given citizenship with few questions asked. As yourself why?