Absolutely heartbreaking. Trump stoked fear and hatred in this election, and I cannot comprehend evangelicals’ support of him. Have they forgotten the commands to welcome the refugee and immigrant, to love thy neighbor? As Tiya Myles put it in your podcast interview, Christians would do well to question what role their faith is playing in this current political climate. White Christian Nationalism thrives on dehumanization, and it is a threat to democracy. In addition to its moral failure, mass deportation will not solve the economic hardships many Americans are facing. Rather, it will lead to an increase in food prices. Knowingly or unknowingly, people who voted for Trump voted against their own interests, and against the interests of their neighbors. I am still grieving the outcome of this election and what lies ahead. I am ready to continue the hard work to make America “more just, more peaceful, more good, and more free.” Forever thankful for this community of Governerds.
I was literally in tears reading this article. As a person of faith who did not vote for Trump I am so disheartened at the ignorance and simplicity of thought for those who did not see the reprocussion of voting him in AGAIN. He was able to capitalize on so much fear & insecurity. They literally voted against themselves in multiple ways. We need immigrants in this country. They bring a rich heritage with them. There's already a shortage of workers in the U.S., what will we do when people start getting deported instead of being allowed to apply for citizenship? I want to DO something but do not know where to start other than sharing this article with my family & friends.
Completely agree with you on all counts. I refuse to sit back and just watch it happen, but feel at a loss of what to do. Looking to this community for ideas!
I desperately want to share these enlightening articles that Sharon so intelligently and generously shares, with my family and friends but they all reply that they aren’t allowed access unless they subscribe. Is there some other way to share from Substack to those without paid subscriptions?
This article should be free to share - I was able to open it in another browser (where I'm signed out) with no issues. The paid articles are only once per week, I believe, and they have purple lettering that says 'PAID' next to them in the Substack inbox.
Thank you Emily. I’m not tech savvy but will figure this out. I’m heartsick about how so many of my otherwise very devoted and charitable Christian friends can’t possibly know this and STILL vote for Trump.
Thanks Lori. I did figure it out. I didn’t send it from the article itself or by forwarding the email. I typed Substack.com in my browser and sent it from there. ?? I think that’s why it worked ??? Technology 🙄
Thank you for sharing this despicable side of our nation’s history. All the more reason we should know all history, so we can learn from past mistakes. In my retirement I have been working on helping refugees, and continuing to lobby on immigration reform. Of course, with the recent election results, the latter seems “out the window”. The push for potential deportation sickens me. Many citizens ask what they can do: here are my suggestions. Let your Members of Congress know your stance. (They are hearing from the other side of the issue. They need to hear from you). Find a church or agency in your community that is helping with resettling refugees, etc. Help them.
I really like your comment on some of the things you can do if you have issues with the current immigration issues. Thanks so much for sharing. I think I’m going to try some of the things you mentioned. Thanks again.
We should be mad, sad, angry and disappointed . How can we not see what is happening to Humans… not merely Mexicans … HUMANS!
As a human rights activist I suggest starting in your community. Look around. Knock on doors. Talk to people.
Since the election I have started a grassroots group in my community. It has 200 members but about 15 that have shown some forward thinking movement. We meet on Thursday to discuss HUMAN rights and how WE can HELP.
Beth you are right. Beyond the tears I am disgusted and angry. As a social worker in my career I believe wholly in human rights dignity and respect. How others do not see this as a human rights issue is beyond me.
Sharon, your truthful history is a valuable first step. The Trump administration plans to create a new national higher education accreditor that will push for more
positive portrayals of the United States in history and political science.
We will have even less truthful history, and more lies!
Thank you for writing this. As Jess Piper quotes from Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny, “do not obey in advance!”
At the risk of being pedantic, I do think it's important for our own mental framing to acknowledge that 50% of Americans did NOT vote for Donald Trump, and the 29%-30% of Americans who did vote for him did not all share the same reasons for their vote or the same level of support for his policies.
Regardless of their intent, of course, we all will have to live with the impact of those votes. In many ways it's harder to live with the knowledge that the majority of Americans may not want this at all but were not able to muster enough motivation to vote against it. Perhaps if immigration was better understood and the impact of these historical 'operations' was more widely known, more people would have been horrified at the RNC attendees waving those "Mass Deportations Now" signs...
In spite of what many people think, the southern border is actually less porous now than it was under Trump. Encounters are down to below 2019 levels, all as a result of extraordinary actions by the Biden administration and the end of the pandemic. Displacements around the world surged to record levels beginning in 2020 because conditions everywhere had deteriorated, causing a huge pent-up demand to migrate, especially to the U.S. because our economy bounced back faster than most countries' and because organized traffickers used the explosion of social media to target potential migrants with lies and enticing stories of life in the U.S. Biden's approach was a 3-legged stool: change the calculus that migrants go through trying to decide whether to leave their countries, create more legal pathways to come into the U.S. and work with other countries at the source of the migrations. For the first leg, Biden instituted new rules to raise the bar for what constitutes credible fear for asylum seekers and also increased resources and capacity to return people to their home countries more quickly if they couldn't clear that bar. In addition, after repeated refusals by Congress for supplemental funds for agents, immigration judges and courts, Biden instituted rules to allow asylum officers to adjudicate such claims since the immigration courts were so hopelessly backed up. For the second leg, the U.S. implemented the CPBOne app to allow migrants to make appointments for pre-approved entry before they get here. Biden also developed a parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to be pre-vetted and arrive safely by air to the U.S. During this time as well, other means of accessing humanitarian aid were instituted as an alternative to just showing up at the southern border. For the third leg, the U.S. worked with private investors and the northern triangle countries to raise billions of dollars to tackle the "root causes" of migration in those countries. In addition, the U.S. developed and opened Safe Mobility Offices in Columbia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Costa Rica where people can safely make claims in their home countries without making the dangerous journey here. This effort has been so successful that the plan is to open a hundred more SMOs in the future.
All of these efforts took planning, time and painstaking efforts. But it has obviously paid off. The U.S. was able to significantly cut border encounters while still adhering to our long-held values regarding immigrants.
“The southern border is actually less porous now than it was under Trump”. I don’t think this is true. Sharon, I would love a deep dive into this statement.
Well, it is true. You don't need a deep dive you can just google it and find the facts on many reputable news sites, such as NBC, in this article entitled "Attempted border crossings dropped to the lowest level of the Biden presidency in September
At fewer than 54,000 apprehensions, the number is also the lowest since August 2020 during the Trump administration, and it is similar to September totals in 2018, 2019 and 2020."
Thank you for sharing this. The motive for exploitation hasn’t changed or has gotten worse — businesses profit from cheap labor of undocumented immigrants and don’t want them to have legal status; for-profit prisons profit from sheltering humans awaiting processing in court; and would-be oligarchs profit from having a distraction and a scapegoat to distract the electorate from their plans to consolidate wealth rather than promote human flourishing.
Thank you for shedding light on the history of our “broken immigration system” — I have heard that phrase so many times this year, but it always seemed like it was said as though it got broken just a few years ago. Wouldn’t it have been amazing if an election campaign could explain our world with as much clarity and nuance as this piece explains it?
There are good people who enabled this to repeat who have no idea that this is what they voted for. I have heard so many people say they thought this was an election about making groceries cheaper and nothing else, despite having no understanding of what their preferred candidate would do to help them afford food.
It’s so painful to read a question like “How close are we to history repeating?” My instinct is to jump into action, but I admit I am a little stumped about what to do next that directly addresses this oncoming train wreck. Anybody have any ideas?
My only thought about a solution is an even bigger picture: can we create a system where we ask low-information voters (the majority of Americans who admit they do not understand how systems work) to trust peers in their community—who are given the resources of full time employment—to give election advice based on thorough investigation? I think the results would solve so many of our existential problems as a country. But I also work 50+ hours a week and reading The Preamble at 4 am feels like my only free time, so I am not sure where to go with this idea 🥲 If anyone else feels like thinking about this, shoot me a message.
I think even for voters who supported Trump, it’s going to come as a shock and be painful to watch when their unsuspected neighbors, friends, colleagues, etc are ripped away from their homes. I also have a feeling many people are going to be shocked and upset when they’re racially profiled in the governments efforts to identify illegal immigrants. How can we have any trust that American Citizens won’t be mistakenly deported again like in the 1950s? Even if you voted for this, don’t assume it won’t impact you.
One historical point I just cannot for the life of me reconcile is Hoover’s deeply powerful work to save the Belgian people during the war and yet…do nothing for 1) US citizens devastated by the Great Depression and 2) people who came to America looking for safety and opportunity.
I did not vote for President Elect Trump and abhor the way he speaks about immigrants and refugees. But our border does seem to be more porous than it should be. We have thousands of people coming into our country daily that are not coming via legal means. So we don't know who they are or why they are here. It seems like we need to spend money to secure the border, hire more border agents and also judges to expedite the cases of those who do cross over, and those who are waiting outside the country for their case for sanctuary to be heard. It is my totally unreasonable hope that Congress will finally address this issue and the President will sign bi-partisan legislation that will allow a faster pathway for legal immigration.
Considering that the incoming president is transactional not ideological, it’s possible he would push for reform IF the business community demands it. Construction and agricultural businesses have been pleading for exceptions so their much-needed workers aren’t deported. In the other hand, for-profit prisons have lobbyists, too, and have zero incentive to promote justice and equity.
Exactly…. Can you tell me who is working on that comprehensive immigration policy and plan. Like you said, that is what is needed. Who’s working on it?
I would appreciate Sharon's take on the legality, and viability of an amnesty order issued by President Biden. Would such an order stand up in the courts and protect those who are targeted in the future (during the Trump administration) for deportation?
Once again, thank you for educating and putting a light on yet another of our county’s shameful past. To be informed with fact and honest appraisal, is the soundest foundation. Thank you.
Absolutely heartbreaking. Trump stoked fear and hatred in this election, and I cannot comprehend evangelicals’ support of him. Have they forgotten the commands to welcome the refugee and immigrant, to love thy neighbor? As Tiya Myles put it in your podcast interview, Christians would do well to question what role their faith is playing in this current political climate. White Christian Nationalism thrives on dehumanization, and it is a threat to democracy. In addition to its moral failure, mass deportation will not solve the economic hardships many Americans are facing. Rather, it will lead to an increase in food prices. Knowingly or unknowingly, people who voted for Trump voted against their own interests, and against the interests of their neighbors. I am still grieving the outcome of this election and what lies ahead. I am ready to continue the hard work to make America “more just, more peaceful, more good, and more free.” Forever thankful for this community of Governerds.
Sara, agree. Just. Peaceful. Good. Free. is my mantra now. I even had it printed on my holiday cards.
I love that idea!
We’ll see how many of my friends and fam love it, too.
Let’s make it a Governerd thing!
I was literally in tears reading this article. As a person of faith who did not vote for Trump I am so disheartened at the ignorance and simplicity of thought for those who did not see the reprocussion of voting him in AGAIN. He was able to capitalize on so much fear & insecurity. They literally voted against themselves in multiple ways. We need immigrants in this country. They bring a rich heritage with them. There's already a shortage of workers in the U.S., what will we do when people start getting deported instead of being allowed to apply for citizenship? I want to DO something but do not know where to start other than sharing this article with my family & friends.
Completely agree with you on all counts. I refuse to sit back and just watch it happen, but feel at a loss of what to do. Looking to this community for ideas!
I desperately want to share these enlightening articles that Sharon so intelligently and generously shares, with my family and friends but they all reply that they aren’t allowed access unless they subscribe. Is there some other way to share from Substack to those without paid subscriptions?
This article should be free to share - I was able to open it in another browser (where I'm signed out) with no issues. The paid articles are only once per week, I believe, and they have purple lettering that says 'PAID' next to them in the Substack inbox.
Thank you Emily. I’m not tech savvy but will figure this out. I’m heartsick about how so many of my otherwise very devoted and charitable Christian friends can’t possibly know this and STILL vote for Trump.
I think you can forward the email but wait one day because I think paid gets early access.
Thanks Lori. I did figure it out. I didn’t send it from the article itself or by forwarding the email. I typed Substack.com in my browser and sent it from there. ?? I think that’s why it worked ??? Technology 🙄
Thank you for sharing this despicable side of our nation’s history. All the more reason we should know all history, so we can learn from past mistakes. In my retirement I have been working on helping refugees, and continuing to lobby on immigration reform. Of course, with the recent election results, the latter seems “out the window”. The push for potential deportation sickens me. Many citizens ask what they can do: here are my suggestions. Let your Members of Congress know your stance. (They are hearing from the other side of the issue. They need to hear from you). Find a church or agency in your community that is helping with resettling refugees, etc. Help them.
Yes, tell your elected officials the truth. Hold them accountable.
I really like your comment on some of the things you can do if you have issues with the current immigration issues. Thanks so much for sharing. I think I’m going to try some of the things you mentioned. Thanks again.
We should be mad, sad, angry and disappointed . How can we not see what is happening to Humans… not merely Mexicans … HUMANS!
As a human rights activist I suggest starting in your community. Look around. Knock on doors. Talk to people.
Since the election I have started a grassroots group in my community. It has 200 members but about 15 that have shown some forward thinking movement. We meet on Thursday to discuss HUMAN rights and how WE can HELP.
Beth you are right. Beyond the tears I am disgusted and angry. As a social worker in my career I believe wholly in human rights dignity and respect. How others do not see this as a human rights issue is beyond me.
It is beyond my comprehension
Sharon, your truthful history is a valuable first step. The Trump administration plans to create a new national higher education accreditor that will push for more
positive portrayals of the United States in history and political science.
We will have even less truthful history, and more lies!
Thank you for writing this. As Jess Piper quotes from Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny, “do not obey in advance!”
I never knew this! I’m just as disturbed by this article as I was to learn more than 50% of Americans supported mass deportation.
At the risk of being pedantic, I do think it's important for our own mental framing to acknowledge that 50% of Americans did NOT vote for Donald Trump, and the 29%-30% of Americans who did vote for him did not all share the same reasons for their vote or the same level of support for his policies.
Regardless of their intent, of course, we all will have to live with the impact of those votes. In many ways it's harder to live with the knowledge that the majority of Americans may not want this at all but were not able to muster enough motivation to vote against it. Perhaps if immigration was better understood and the impact of these historical 'operations' was more widely known, more people would have been horrified at the RNC attendees waving those "Mass Deportations Now" signs...
This is devastating. How can we just sit here and watch it happen again?
In a country of mass deportations, be a Miep Giese.
In spite of what many people think, the southern border is actually less porous now than it was under Trump. Encounters are down to below 2019 levels, all as a result of extraordinary actions by the Biden administration and the end of the pandemic. Displacements around the world surged to record levels beginning in 2020 because conditions everywhere had deteriorated, causing a huge pent-up demand to migrate, especially to the U.S. because our economy bounced back faster than most countries' and because organized traffickers used the explosion of social media to target potential migrants with lies and enticing stories of life in the U.S. Biden's approach was a 3-legged stool: change the calculus that migrants go through trying to decide whether to leave their countries, create more legal pathways to come into the U.S. and work with other countries at the source of the migrations. For the first leg, Biden instituted new rules to raise the bar for what constitutes credible fear for asylum seekers and also increased resources and capacity to return people to their home countries more quickly if they couldn't clear that bar. In addition, after repeated refusals by Congress for supplemental funds for agents, immigration judges and courts, Biden instituted rules to allow asylum officers to adjudicate such claims since the immigration courts were so hopelessly backed up. For the second leg, the U.S. implemented the CPBOne app to allow migrants to make appointments for pre-approved entry before they get here. Biden also developed a parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to be pre-vetted and arrive safely by air to the U.S. During this time as well, other means of accessing humanitarian aid were instituted as an alternative to just showing up at the southern border. For the third leg, the U.S. worked with private investors and the northern triangle countries to raise billions of dollars to tackle the "root causes" of migration in those countries. In addition, the U.S. developed and opened Safe Mobility Offices in Columbia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Costa Rica where people can safely make claims in their home countries without making the dangerous journey here. This effort has been so successful that the plan is to open a hundred more SMOs in the future.
All of these efforts took planning, time and painstaking efforts. But it has obviously paid off. The U.S. was able to significantly cut border encounters while still adhering to our long-held values regarding immigrants.
“The southern border is actually less porous now than it was under Trump”. I don’t think this is true. Sharon, I would love a deep dive into this statement.
Well, it is true. You don't need a deep dive you can just google it and find the facts on many reputable news sites, such as NBC, in this article entitled "Attempted border crossings dropped to the lowest level of the Biden presidency in September
At fewer than 54,000 apprehensions, the number is also the lowest since August 2020 during the Trump administration, and it is similar to September totals in 2018, 2019 and 2020."
Thank you for sharing this. The motive for exploitation hasn’t changed or has gotten worse — businesses profit from cheap labor of undocumented immigrants and don’t want them to have legal status; for-profit prisons profit from sheltering humans awaiting processing in court; and would-be oligarchs profit from having a distraction and a scapegoat to distract the electorate from their plans to consolidate wealth rather than promote human flourishing.
Thank you for shedding light on the history of our “broken immigration system” — I have heard that phrase so many times this year, but it always seemed like it was said as though it got broken just a few years ago. Wouldn’t it have been amazing if an election campaign could explain our world with as much clarity and nuance as this piece explains it?
There are good people who enabled this to repeat who have no idea that this is what they voted for. I have heard so many people say they thought this was an election about making groceries cheaper and nothing else, despite having no understanding of what their preferred candidate would do to help them afford food.
It’s so painful to read a question like “How close are we to history repeating?” My instinct is to jump into action, but I admit I am a little stumped about what to do next that directly addresses this oncoming train wreck. Anybody have any ideas?
My only thought about a solution is an even bigger picture: can we create a system where we ask low-information voters (the majority of Americans who admit they do not understand how systems work) to trust peers in their community—who are given the resources of full time employment—to give election advice based on thorough investigation? I think the results would solve so many of our existential problems as a country. But I also work 50+ hours a week and reading The Preamble at 4 am feels like my only free time, so I am not sure where to go with this idea 🥲 If anyone else feels like thinking about this, shoot me a message.
I think even for voters who supported Trump, it’s going to come as a shock and be painful to watch when their unsuspected neighbors, friends, colleagues, etc are ripped away from their homes. I also have a feeling many people are going to be shocked and upset when they’re racially profiled in the governments efforts to identify illegal immigrants. How can we have any trust that American Citizens won’t be mistakenly deported again like in the 1950s? Even if you voted for this, don’t assume it won’t impact you.
Shameful.
One historical point I just cannot for the life of me reconcile is Hoover’s deeply powerful work to save the Belgian people during the war and yet…do nothing for 1) US citizens devastated by the Great Depression and 2) people who came to America looking for safety and opportunity.
I did not vote for President Elect Trump and abhor the way he speaks about immigrants and refugees. But our border does seem to be more porous than it should be. We have thousands of people coming into our country daily that are not coming via legal means. So we don't know who they are or why they are here. It seems like we need to spend money to secure the border, hire more border agents and also judges to expedite the cases of those who do cross over, and those who are waiting outside the country for their case for sanctuary to be heard. It is my totally unreasonable hope that Congress will finally address this issue and the President will sign bi-partisan legislation that will allow a faster pathway for legal immigration.
Considering that the incoming president is transactional not ideological, it’s possible he would push for reform IF the business community demands it. Construction and agricultural businesses have been pleading for exceptions so their much-needed workers aren’t deported. In the other hand, for-profit prisons have lobbyists, too, and have zero incentive to promote justice and equity.
Exactly…. Can you tell me who is working on that comprehensive immigration policy and plan. Like you said, that is what is needed. Who’s working on it?
Well said, Mary Louise. I hope that something reasonable can be worked out because something has to change.
I would appreciate Sharon's take on the legality, and viability of an amnesty order issued by President Biden. Would such an order stand up in the courts and protect those who are targeted in the future (during the Trump administration) for deportation?
Once again, thank you for educating and putting a light on yet another of our county’s shameful past. To be informed with fact and honest appraisal, is the soundest foundation. Thank you.