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In the beginning, remember, the right's target was "illegal immigrants," cuz you know, they were illegal and all. Conservatives reassured us that race had nothing to do with it, pointing out that they embraced immigrants who came here legally, were hard-working, etc. 1/12
Back then, Trump even expressed sympathy for the DACA kids -- remember them? “They got brought here at a very young age, they’ve worked here, they’ve gone to school here," Trump said, reassuring them "They shouldn’t be very worried" because he had such a great heart. 2/12
Then, to get the response he wanted from his base, he had to up the dosage of cruelty. He dropped the idea of doing right by the DACA kids, instead trying to strip them of their immunity so they could be targeted for deportation. So far, the courts have stopped him… so far. 3/12
And suddenly it wasn’t just the illegal immigrants either. Trump upped the dosage yet again by targeting those coming here legally as well. Suddenly ALL immigrants -- legal and otherwise -- were a threat to our national security, not to mention our national purity. 4/12
OK, maybe not all. Immigrants from places like Norway were still fine – we should restock our gene pool with all those beautiful blondes, am I right? -- but the flow of legal immigrants from “shithole countries?” That was different. That would have to stop. 5/12
And now, of course, he is targeting not just illegal immigrants, and not just legal immigrants. Upping the dosage again, Trump is telling US- born, high-achieving offspring of legal immigrants to go back to “the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” 6/12
Once we were told that it was silly to fear deportation squads; we now have deportation squads swarming our cities. We were told we would never purposefully separate parent from child; we have done so on an industrial scale, creating thousands of permanent orphans. 7/12
We also were told it was unAmerican to question inhumane conditions in internment camps, but a report from the DHS’ own inspector general reveals conditions in those camps that are “far more grievous” than previously known. oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/… 8/12
“… a cell with a maximum capacity of 35 held 155 detainees; a cell with a maximum capacity of 8 held 41 detainees,” the report tells us. “Border Patrol agents told us some of the detainees had been held IN STANDING-ROOM ONLY CONDITIONS FOR DAYS OR WEEKS.” 9/12
“Detainees were wearing soiled clothing for days or weeks …We also observed detainees standing on toilets in the cells to make room and gain breathing space, thus limiting access to the toilets.” These are DHS findings, not allegations from liberal Congress members. 10/12
Now take a look back at where we began. Look at the trajectory. The rhetoric, the actions, the cruelty and callous attitude – all of them grow more dark and ominous. We dehumanize not just “the other” but ourselves, and with each passing day we become more accustomed to it. 11/12
It seems fair – no, necessary – to ask where this is all headed. If those who are driving this continue to get their way, where will they take us? Who will we be as a nation? Already, this place looks foreign to me, as if I've awakened in a country I don't recognize. 12/12
