This Must Not Be Who We Are

In my Substack and Live on Wednesday, I talked about how cruelty will be Donald Trump’s downfall. I truly believe that. The man who once said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a vote wasn’t too far off with that prediction. He has a powerful hold over his followers. But most Americans aren’t his hardcore followers. They aren’t cruel. And they won’t stand for Trump’s reprehensible treatment of migrants.

Look, I understand why so many Americans feel betrayed. For decades, both parties promised opportunity and fairness, but what we’ve got instead is a system that too often only works for the powerful and leaves everyone else behind. That broken social contract—where hard work was supposed to mean something—has left folks angry, cynical, and tuned out.

Donald Trump, a demagogue through and through, has spent a decade exploiting that frustration to push us toward a police state. Think about that. A police state. In America. ICE is now the largest, most well-funded federal law enforcement arm in the country, with shockingly little oversight. That should terrify every freedom-loving American. This isn’t about security anymore—it’s about basic civil rights.

The single most patriotic thing we can do right now is tell the truth—to our neighbors, our families, our fellow Americans—about the injustices happening under our noses and in our name. We’ve got innocent people locked up in detention centers, militarized raids tearing apart communities, and an administration freely weaponizing law enforcement. A majority of Americans believe it’s only a matter of time until Trump turns his modern Gestapo on his political enemies.

Most folks don’t even know the half of it. That’s by design. But if we care about saving this republic—if we still believe in liberty, justice, and basic decency—we have to speak up. I’ll be sharing stories with you every week in The Social Share. All I ask is that you share them with your networks everywhere. They speak for themselves. If you come across a shocking video, a powerful image, or a monstrous story about the disgraceful treatment of migrants in our country, please send it our way.

Because this must not be who we are—lest we lose not only our democracy, but our humanity.

From Social Contract reader Karen Curtis:

From Social Contract reader Jill Baer:

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Laura P. reports:

We live five miles south of the U.S.-Canadian border. There are three border crossings near us into British Columbia. Many of us cross often for shopping and dining. We know of two Canadian couples who were trying to cross into the U.S. They were asked what they thought of Trump by the U.S. Border Patrol. They said they didn’t approve of him. They have been banned from the U.S. for two years! One couple lost their Nexus passes. We live in a fascist country. Absolutely terrified of what else will happen. We decided we need to be neutral, if questioned at the border. For instance, “He’s doing everything he promised he would do.”

From Social Contract reader Laura Kallmeyer: Cincinnati Children's Hospital chaplain detained by ICE, held in jail —WLWT

• ICE arrests 4 people after immigration court hearings in S.F. —Mission Local

• ‘They’re killing us’: Immigrants complain of inhumane conditions inside NYC holding site —Gothamist

• A volunteer legal observer says she was left bruised after being detained by ICE agents at federal courthouse —KPBS Public Media

• Farmworkers detained, tear gas deployed at protesters in Ventura County immigration raid —KTLA | Video

• Photos of federal officers descending on a Los Angeles park as residents and mayor watch —AP News

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