President Trump’s nationwide sweeps of immigrants, both documented and undocumented alike, as well as against Latino/a U.S. citizens has thus far raised insufficient public attention. While the recent No Kings Day nationwide protests demonstrate deep disdain for the President’s policies, they in no way seemed centered on his wholesale almost daily attacks on immigrants. Despite mass roundups by masked officials that often act with extremely aggressive behavior, and the now regular arrests of any looking to be an “immigrant,” there has yet to be any true public outcry to end these ICE raids.
Despite militaristic acts aimed at an insular unfavored minority—against immigrants and anyone appearing to be an immigrant— these raids have resulted in few immigration-focused protests other than fairly isolated ones in Los Angeles. While the federal government in general, and the executive branch in particular, have virtually plenary authority over foreign affairs and almost as much with respect to immigration, those powers are not without limits. Indeed, the U.S. Supreme Court in a host of decisions, including the recent cases of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld and Boumediene v Bush, recognize the executive branch cannot engage in wholesale trampling of constitutional rights against immigrants or in the name of national security, especially with respect to everyone’s Due Process rights. Yet, President Trump’s ICE roundups target anyone that looks like an immigrant, which has led to unlawful arrests of U.S. citizens, and even the deportation of U.S. citizen children. While the official ICE website contests these claims, news accounts are replete with U.S. citizens being stopped, physically harassed, detained, and even deported. These blunderbuss wholesale targeting of anyone that appears to be an immigrant is nothing short of racial profiling, which used to be against the law.
Yet, Trump’s arguably anti-Latino/a campaign has thus failed to capture the country’s attention. This lack of concern is baffling considering what may be forthcoming. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Noem v. Vasques-Perdomo, suggests wholesale racial-profiling of the Latino/a community may become the law of the land for the purposes of immigration enforcement. If the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately legalizes these tactics, it will also formally make all within the Latino/a community second-class members of society and fair targets for future immigration sweeps, harassment, and wrongful arrests.
Why don’t we seem to care more about these anti-immigrant/anti-Latino/a efforts?
While the media has had a hard time keeping up with the Trump Administration’s widespread raids and new policies designed to prevent people from migrating, other than small numbers of politicians objecting to these raids, there is sadly little interest in this issue, despite its potential impact far beyond the immigrant community. Indeed, in states like Florida, and immigrant-plurality cities like Miami, there are no large protests or rarely a word by politicians about this targeting of the Latino/a community. Business just seems to go on as usual, and our collective psyche seems to conclude: this is not our problem.
Somewhat astonishingly, the public and most Latino/as seem to think they are immune. They are sadly mistaken. U.S. history is riddled with similar examples of immigrants targeted for exclusion, detention, and removal, just because of their race and/or national origin. In the case of Latinos/as, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans were deported or repatriated themselves out of fear during the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that more than half of them were U.S.-born Mexican Americans. A similar sweep took place in the 1950s, when Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower tapped a general to rid the United States of its excess population of undocumented “Mexicans” in the infamously dubbed “Operation Wetback.” Trump himself has invoked Operation Wetback, albeit calling it the Eisenhower Plan, and promised that his crackdown on immigration would be even bigger.
If the public and Latino/as in particular feel they are safe, they are sticking their heads in the sand. The Trump Administration is not only targeting Latino/as as mentioned above, but it is also seeking to overtake democratic-leaning cities like Portland, Chicago, and New Orleans. Under orders of President Trump. our military, despite laws against it, is ready to target immigrant and stop a nonexistent insurrection or war-like environment. Such acts by the military are against federal law, the Posse Comitatus Act in particular, which explicitly prohibits using our military within states absent a request by a Governor or an insurrection, neither of which has occurred.
All Latinos/as should quickly realize if the Trump Administration continues and the Noem v. Vasques-Perdomobecomes the law of the land (the high court at this stage removed an injunction against ICE until the merits of the case are resolved), they are no longer anything other than potential ICE targets. Although studies show President Trump received unprecedented support in many Latino/a voting blocks, with upwards of 55% of Latino men voting for him, this community is “finding out,” as the popular profane meme describes. With perhaps many of his supporters now witnessing or being threatened by Trump’s sweeps, it remains to be seen whether the assimilation modality that led to supporting Trump will continue after they or their families and friends are targeted.
Perhaps self-preservation or at least a sense of decency will cause a political change? Or perhaps many will foolishly continue their false-consciousness and believe the threat is to “those people.” In either case, all within the Latino/a community, irrespective of whether they are U.S. citizens or even Trump supporters, are reliving the threats of the past. This community, which makes up nearly 20% of the U.S. population will ultimately either learn that only when we demand an end to the targeting and scapegoating will other Americans follow our lead and demand we not repeat the sins of our past.