Protecting our neighbors from ICE.

The questions are coming fast in my direct messages.

Hey, I unfortunately live in a red state with open carry and stand your ground laws and your home is your castle defend it type of laws. I worry that sometime soon these masked unidentifiable goons are going to kick in someone's door with no warrant-they have before here, it's been on the news-and someone inside will open fire and kill/wound a few. If that happens, I feel like it will be the trigger for the administration to push more of these guys onto the streets, along with Active duty military, all empowered by the federal government to do the worst things imaginable with blanket immunity/ amnesty for their actions. I fear that someone shooting at them will be the beginnings of martial law in either certain states or the entire country.

I'm having these discussions with friends in marginalized groups who worry about what comes next for all of us in this environment we're all forced to live in now. Your thoughts would be appreciated, thanks for what you do and for what you've shared with us all.

My response is that this will absolutely happen. It already has. The federal government is counting on it.

This is not simply an ICE mass deportation. It is a DHS operation with the goals of stoking outrage, anger and fear in the public at large. It is not solely about deporting migrants or enforcing the law. If it were, they would not have left the southern border wide open as it is right now, and they would be following the law and providing due process. They are doing none of this.

No, this is an operation to get Americans into the streets. To create enough outrage and anger that they can justify turning on us. Martial law is right around the corner. You cannot see this right now because the media is not reporting it, but they are building large soft-sided facilities to hold people, and that will eventually include Americans. The “home-growns” as Trump calls us.

This is why they are so public about their ICE arrests. This is why they are grabbing moms as they drop their children off at daycare or school. It is why they are beating dads in public knowing full well you are videoing them. This is why they are NOT targeting criminals but decent hard working people.

This is why they are dressed for war. They want you to stand your ground. They want you to confront them. They are just waiting for you to cross that line.

Why has this not happened yet?

They are waiting on the funding. Oppressors don’t work for free. Any day now, the senate is likely to pass the budget bill that Trump calls the “Big Beautiful Bill.” If this passes, they will have all the funding they need to build the camps, pay the military, ICE, transportation, etc. Currently, DHS and its fascist goons are running a deficit. They are spending more than they have been allotted by Congress, and yet they refuse to provide long term plans for this money. Why? Because their plans involve putting everyone they do not like in camps. I expect once the budget bill passes, we will see more vigilantes and militias. This will likely occur through local sheriffs deputizing them. Bounties will be paid to these individuals to round you up. Your tax money will pay for your own imprisonment.

So, what do we do?

This means you need to plan, game this out. Discuss scenarios with your neighbors; what will you do if this or that happens? Adults need to decide how and if you resist. Some of you will go without a fight. Others will fight until an officer kneels on their back and kills them.

For me personally, I am turning 54 tomorrow. I cannot physically fight like I used to. My hands are disabled from my suicide attempt a decade ago, and though I was an excellent shooter and know a decent amount about firearms, I do not own guns and cannot physically use them if I wanted to. If they come for me, I will likely not fight.

Look local. We often get caught up in the bigger picture, unsure how to get Trump to stop and how to get media to cover the truth and not the propaganda. Those are big questions that require lots of thought and coordination. This type of thinking can overwhelm us and leave us thinking there is nothing we can do.

Look around you at your neighbors. Are there people who you know could be targeted? If you do not have a relationship with them yet, introduce yourself. You know who the MAGAs are in your community. Have a small neighborhood meeting, and don’t invite them. Tell your neighbors that you are troubled by what you have seen. Suggest that you all discuss what would help those in your community.

Always be sure that the ones needing the assistance are part of the conversation. You wouldn’t want anyone making decisions for you. Each neighborhood has different needs. What works for one area may not be feasible in another.

Develop multiple ways of notifying neighbors that ICE are in the area. One way people are doing this is by following ICE cars and Border Patrol vehicles and honking your horn constantly. This tells those in danger of being kidnapped to go inside, lock their doors and do not come out. Create a neighborhood watch. Trade phone numbers and develop a text group chat that can be sent out quickly with one word like “ICE” or “migra” or a number that tells people to get inside.

Consider doing the shopping for neighbors who are at risk for being targeted. Pick up their kids from school when you pick up your own. Offer to drive them for errands so they do not get pulled over for “being Black or Brown.” If they have to attend immigration hearings, go with them. At the very least, if they are taken, you can inform the family what happened and help them find an attorney. Document their arrest and post to social media to warn others. Staying silent only helps the oppressors.

Decide now if you all plan to confront them. As I mentioned before in another piece, assign people specific tasks: one person to speak to ICE, another to film, another to check on the family and tend to their needs should anyone be taken.

However you decide to resist, there should be no judgement in this. We are at the point where every type of resistance is legitimate. The government is not following the law, your resistance need not either.

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