[dropcap size=big]M[/dropcap]igrants seeking asylum in the United States continue dying in detention centers. Children continue locked up, like criminals, ripped from their families. Newborns are still being taken from their mothers. The “hieleras” remain. And the Trump administration continues to flout U.S. and international law with systematic human rights violations that tear at anyone’s sense of decency.
This weekend the fear and division was heightened with yet another threat of immigration raids. We’ve been here before, and know how quickly it can turn into smoke and mirrors. The intended effect is purely political. A few hundred swept up in a weekend wave will do nothing to solve the problems associated with the 10.5 million people living in the shadow of the law.
Even Nancy Pelosi stood up and read the now-standard "Don't open the door for ICE" message, which sounded almost like mocking from the only lady who could immediately do a few more things about the horror, with a mere flick of her gavel.
But since the days of Operation Gatekeeper, the U.S. immigration enforcement apparatus under both Democratic and Republican administrations has been successfully weaponized to terrorize brown and immigrant communities. Many argue that’s what this is really about. The other big news of the week offered a reminder.