Trump Threatened to Deport Millions, Here’s How You Can Fight Back

Donald Trump desperately wants to win again, so he’s falling back on what worked for him the first time around: dehumanizing and threatening undocumented residents, especially of the brown sort. As part of his official campaign kickoff week, the “president” threatened to start deporting millions of people beginning next week.

Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people…….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019

Whether or not he can feasibly pull that off is up for debate, but the threat alone is striking fear into the hearts of people who might be at risk, and those who care about those who might be at risk. What he and his most ardent supporters are not quite computing is that his rhetoric does not just threaten illegal immigrants, it also jeopardizes the rest of us and the communities we live in. These are our neighbors, our friends — it’s the guy we say hello to at the bus stop every day, the abuela we laugh with in the produce isle, the kids our kids go to school with.

Although the hate-filled lies about and threats against undocumented people resonate with his core base, his words and actions outrage far more of us that have to come to coexist and actually enjoy the communities we live in, with all the beautiful shades. Far more of us couldn’t give a rat’s ass if our next door neighbor has legal paperwork to show — if they’re decent people who wave hello in the morning and occasionally kick down a plate of yum, we’re good.

Protesters at a DACA rally. Photo courtesy of The Nation

Basically, there are more of us than there are of them and as allies, it will take us all to stand up and protect our communities. Luckily, there are plethora of resources out there to help us do that.

Trump may have shot himself in the foot by publicly announcing mass deportation plans that tend to rely on secrecy in the months prior to ICE actions of that velocity. His big mouth actually works to our benefit as it gives people time to prepare. So, without further ado, let’s do some preparing.

Good people have been hard at work for years now creating networks to support threatened communities and educating people about procedures and rights. We’re sharing some of those resources here in hopes that you’ll also spread the information as widely as possible, and we can all be a little more prepared to help when called on. Check out the information below and be ready. We can do this together.

Know Your Rights

Courtesy of the National Immigration Law Center, undocumented people can carry this card with them in the event they are detained, which very plainly explains to officers that they do indeed know what they are required by law to comply with and what rights to representation they have.

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition offers substantial information about rights of undocumented residents and allies in several different situations, including how to prepare for and help during ICE raids and how to accompany illegal immigrants in situations where ICE might be lying in wait. You can access their many resources here.

Rapid Response Networks

Established in just about every county, networks of people are on hand to receive and share reports of ICE activity, to step in as legal observers during sweeps and deportations, to connect people with immigration attorneys and to accompany undocumented people to and from court dates and other entrapment situations. Resistance SF is circulating a spreadsheet with contact and capability information for response networks throughout Northern and Central California, and we’re sharing that information for easy access here. And if you’re really interested in taking things a step further, check in with these networks for ways to volunteer your time and skills.