Evidence of increasing authoritarianism
The illusion that those being deported are criminals and monsters
The President has said he has a mandate to rid our country of “illegal immigrants.” His 2024 campaign promised to close the borders and vowed to initiate the largest domestic deportation operation in American history. His mass deportation operations are well underway. The Department of Homeland Security has repealed policies that acknowledged sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and churches. This policy had been in place since 2011 in order to avoid unnecessarily alarming local communities. The policy goes on to state that if exceptions occur that necessitate arrests in sensitive locations, agents and officers must conduct themselves as discreetly as possible, consistent with officer and public safety, and to make every effort to limit the time at the sensitive location. The Biden Administration expanded the policy to create a sensitive location policy at courthouses. The current administration rescinded all those policies in January 2025.
While campaigning, and even in the months since the administration has been in office, the spoken emphasis has been on arresting criminals, gang members and terrorists. Meanwhile deportation efforts have ramped up. In January targets were set for 1200-1500 arrests per day. Recently Stephen Miller has set a new quota of 3,000 arrests per day with a promise to keep pushing that number higher in order to meet the goal of 1 million deportees in the first year. While the press secretary continues to maintain that the focus is on “heinous monsters, rapists, murderers, kidnappers, sexual assaulters, and predators” investigations of the men sent to a torture prison in El Salvador known for its human rights abuses and paid for by our tax dollars have revealed a significant number came legally and have no criminal charges in this country. Now it has been reported that Miller is not interested in who the migrants are as long as these quotas are met.
In order to increase the numbers of detainees, enforcement agents outside of ICE have been mandated to assist the efforts. Agents with the FBI, HSI, DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and more have been removed from normal priorities to carry out immigration enforcement work. In addition local police and sheriff departments have been assisting under a program entitled 287(g). These types of partnerships were tried more than a decade ago and ended due to alarms about civil rights abuses. According to Kristi Graunke, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina, “Immigration law is incredibly complex and unless there is proper oversight and intensive training, there is incredible capacity for mistakes and harm.”
As an example of past 287(g) abuses, Sheriff Arpaio’s department in Maricopa County, AZ, signed an agreement in 2007 to join the 287(g) program. In 2011, the Justice Department reported that Sherriff Arapio had “clearly communicated to his officers that biased policing would not only be tolerated, but encouraged.” The investigation also found multiple instances of deputies using excessive force against Latino residents building a wall of mistrust. Although repeatedly denying the conclusions of the investigation, Arpaio was eventually found guilty of criminal contempt for refusing to comply with a court order compelling reforms of his department. He was pardoned by the president in 2017.
In January, an Executive Order expanded the use of Expedited Expulsion, legislation created in 1996 through Congress that allowed migrants at the border to be expelled. Although they can request asylum, they can be denied after a cursory review without an opportunity to see an immigration judge. The new order allows Expedited Expulsion to be used anywhere in the US. This is similar to an Executive Order in his first term which was rescinded by the Biden Administration. Both in his first and current terms, these Executive Orders have faced legal challenges.
Currently, Department of Homeland Security attorneys in cities across the US are moving to dismiss immigration cases. Once a judge dismisses a case, ICE can place the individuals under Expedited Expulsion. Reporting across the country show individuals being arrested by ICE outside of Immigration Court. This tactic has the effect of creating fear for legal migrants who have scheduled immigration hearings who mistrust a system intended to protect them, but now making them vulnerable to detention and deportation. If they do not show up for a scheduled immigration hearing, they will automatically receive in absentia removal orders. It’s a terrible situation which can lead to detrimental consequences for individuals who came to seek asylum from fear of persecution in their country of origin.
While the Administration continues to insist they are going after the worst criminals and those who make our streets unsafe, a Massachusetts teen on their way to volleyball practice, who had come here from Brazil as a young child, was arrested. Todd Lyons, acting director of US ICE said, “ We were looking for his father. Obviously, he isn’t father of the year. He brought his son up here illegally as well.” He went on to say, “I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in the country illegally, and we’re not going to walk away from anybody.” The fact is Brazilians migrated to the US around 2013 due to economic hardship that led to high unemployment and inflation leading people to seek better opportunities for themselves and their families. The Massachusetts community is rallying behind the teen.
In Kennett, MO, Carol Mayorga is a mother of three, a home owner, an employee who has sometimes worked three jobs, and an active member of her Catholic church. She is also a migrant who came from Hong Kong more than 20 years ago. Called by federal immigration officials to their office in St. Louis for what Carol thought was a routine appointment, they detained her and placed her in shackles and handcuffs leaving her for seven hours. She is awaiting an immigration hearing. The community is rallying behind her.
Heidy Sanchez and her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, are from Cuba. They have a young daughter who is still breastfeeding. Carlos is a naturalized US Citizen. Heidy worked as a home health aid caring for the sick and elderly. They had submitted a petition for an alien relative two years ago to support Heidy in becoming a legal green card holder. They felt confident in the application as Heidy had no criminal record. Heidy was called by ICE and informed her immigration appointment had been moved up. She went to the appointment where she was detained and then deported to Cuba even though legal paperwork had been filed to contest the deportation. No reason was given for her deportation order.
Last weekI watched a video of a mother and two children being detained. As the ICE agents place them in their vehicle, it is clear how upset one of her children is. The back of the vehicle is separated into two compartments. I watched as ICE agents placed the mother on one side and her children in the other. Separated. Unable to comfort one another. It is cruel policy intended to make a statement. You are not welcome here and we will do everything we can to make the process cruel. After all mercy need not be extended to the undocumented. This administration’s supporters made clear that point from the beginning.
The stories continue daily. This administration has one goal, mass deportation, and has convinced their supporters that it is all about keeping America safe. In the process active community members are being rounded up at their jobs, their court hearings, and routine traffic stops. It’s far easier to find noncriminals following immigration procedures than it is to find real immigrant criminals whom everyone agrees should face arrest, trial, conviction and eventual deportation.
What I find most distressing are the number of supporters who continue to defend these aggressive measures because the president is trying to keep us safe. The continued lie from the Administration that those being deported are dangerous criminals feeds the narrative that we need to be kept safe from those people. If in the process the constitution is set aside because we don’t have the time and resources to extend the basic human right of due process, it can’t be helped. The continued framing that the Democrats don’t care about the American people since they want these criminals roaming the streets with borders wide open. The fear and intimidation rained on this country’s immigrant population. The cruelty of men in full tactical gear, faces hidden by masks, with no identification presented, and often with no training in immigration matters, rounding up ordinary people seeking a better way of life. We are seeing how easy it is done. We are seeing how easily it is ignored. We are seeing how easily it is defended.
This is what authoritarians do. Once they convince their supporters to be afraid of a segment of the population, it becomes easy to get them go agree law and order no longer matters. I continue to speak up in the hopes that these authoritarian efforts will be seen clearly for what they are. Divide and conquer. One cruel moment at a time.