First they came for the undocumented criminals, and I did not speak out, because I was not an undocumented criminal.
But there were not enough undocumented criminals, so they came for undocumented laborers, and I did not speak out, because I was not an undocumented laborer.
Then they came for the asylum seekers, and I did not speak out, because I was not an asylum seeker.
Then they came for those with temporary protected status, and I did not speak out, because I was not under a TPS.
Then they came for student visas, and I did not speak, because I do not have a student visa.
Then they came for green card holders and tourists, and I did not speak out, because I have no green card.
Then they came for those who were born here, whose parents were undocumented, and I did not speak out, because my parents were born here, although I don't know if my immigrant ancestors came here "legally."
Then they came for naturalized American citizens, and I did not speak out, because I was not naturalized.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.
But there were not enough undocumented criminals, so they came for undocumented laborers, and I did not speak out, because I was not an undocumented laborer.
Then they came for the asylum seekers, and I did not speak out, because I was not an asylum seeker.
Then they came for those with temporary protected status, and I did not speak out, because I was not under a TPS.
Then they came for student visas, and I did not speak, because I do not have a student visa.
Then they came for green card holders and tourists, and I did not speak out, because I have no green card.
Then they came for those who were born here, whose parents were undocumented, and I did not speak out, because my parents were born here, although I don't know if my immigrant ancestors came here "legally."
Then they came for naturalized American citizens, and I did not speak out, because I was not naturalized.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.
(With apologies to Pastor Martin Niemöller)
5 comments:
Very well done. And scary.
I have read coverage of the ICE Block app, https://www.iceblock.app/. It lets users post notifications of ICE activity in their local area, and receive such notifications. It is iPhone only.
The slippery slope of police state tyranny.
It's not really all that slippery a slope. Right now, we - the US - are holding hundreds of people in an El Salvador hellhole, incommunicado, all because the Trump administration says they're horrible people. They were swept out of the country unlawfully, in direct defiance of a judge's order.
If a homeless US citizen, of Mexican descent, was swept up, with no family in the US, how would we know that he's not rotting in that hellhole? We wouldn't. Not even a federal judge has verified that the administration has identified him correctly, much less agreed that we can send people to foreign hellholes instead of deporting them.
This is more a slippery cliffside, than slope.
And the number of people who see nothing wrong with putting people with foreign accents into concentration camps as bad as or worse than state prisons is appalling.
Please explain to me how this is NOT overreaction to a civil offense. (Most "unlawfully present" individuals have not committed a criminal offense.) For those who have committed a criminal immigration offense (false documents or unlawful entry after deportation), please explain to me how the penalty and incarceration should be the same as it is for violent felons.
Now explain it like you would to keep yourself from the bowels of Hell.
Because I really can't see how they are even similar.
Then explain to me why it is okay to jail juveniles away from their parents and with other adults.
I can only guess these supporters would be okay with being incarcerated in an overcrowded prison with violent felons just because they cut through a parking lot to skip the light, or because they complained about Israel bombing schools and hospitals in Gaza. And I bet they also believe Ukraine picked a fight with Russia.
I'm struggling to comprehend how our current administration is behaving like the gestapo, and our countrymen can't see this. Why is it okay to marginalize people based on color, sexuality, gender identity, or place of birth. It was not okay in 1939, and it wasn't okay in 2024. It should not be tolerated in 2025.
OK, I'm not much of a poet but here you go.
"The time has come the people said, to speak of many things.
Of ICE and rights and prices and why we don’t want kings.
And why the country’s gone to hell, and what about Beijing "
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