I’M SCARED TO GO OUTSIDE

ICE HAS MADE EVERYDAY LIFE FEEL DANGEROUS

Ali Cabrera-Osuna The Advocate

A modern-day Gestapo would never happen here, right? The United States lived through World War II and witnessed how Nazi Germany carried out violence against those it deemed racial and political enemies of the state. The United States is supposed to be the land of the free and home of the brave. We are supposed to learn from our history. What is brave about hiding behind a mask while kidnapping individuals based on their racial or ethnic appearance under the guise of reasonable suspicion? I’m scared to go outside every day because I’m afraid I will be racially profiled.

My parents came to America from Mexico 26 years ago in hopes of escaping the poverty that faced them back home. They, like many other immigrant families, had heard about the Great American Dream – the belief that anyone could be successful through hard work, and that one’s race and background would be irrelevant to that success. 26 years later, they have brought themselves from the brink of homelessness to each of them having stable, successful jobs and being able to put both my sister and I through school. My family’s story, like many others, was achievable without fear of persecution, at least until the Trump administration.

Some have pointed to Obama’s administration as having the most immigrants deported, referring to him as “deporter-in-chief,” but unlike the raids during the Trump administration, those deportations targeted criminals. The Obama administration’s deportation numbers also included those who were turned away at the border. That is very different from what we see happening now.

It’s terrifying being non-white in Trump’s America.

I’m not alone in the belief that ICE has been targeting people based on race and justifying it under the guise of “probable cause” and not just nonwhite residents either. We believe white American citizens are also being targeted.

An ICE agent killed Renee Good on Jan. 7 of this year. Federal officials said the agent acted in self-defense, but that has been widely disputed by local officials, witnesses and others who have reviewed video of the shooting. It feels clear to me that ICE is not only targeting people based on racial profiling, but also any who stand against them. As an American, I believe we should be outraged by what ICE is doing. It goes against the values this country is supposed to represent.

The American colonists revolted in 1765 against the tyranny of the government and violations of the people’s rights. I believe history is repeating itself – that our rights are being violated. Federal agents are making warrantless arrests. They wear masks and present no badge when they kidnap people and call them criminals while doing it. And I am terrified to leave the house because of it.