President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions began their campaign against immigrants with the dog whistle of MS-13, in language reminiscent of the racist, dehumanizing vitriol often directed at black children.
Trump's Racism Coils Around Black Children, South American Immigrants
Racism—the lifeblood of the Trump presidency—fuels and sustains both the criminal justice and immigration systems.
The cages are nothing new to Black parents. Their kids are locked up at a rate as high as 30 times more than white children even though Black and white kids commit most offenses at similar rates.
But their kids aren't called kids. Their kids are super-predators or juveniles or gang bangers or thugs. Their kids are threatening when walking with a bag of skittles or smoking weed or getting into a fight or going to a diner after the prom or driving around with friends or going to a pool party or playing in the park -- things that all kids do but when their kids do it, it's criminal. It's dangerous. It's met with a 911 call, police, handcuffs, bullets, surveillance, or prison cells. Separation.
And so their kids know the horrors of being caged. Know the horrors of being torn from their parents and sisters. And their mothers and fathers know what it's like to have their child -- who they still kiss goodnight, who they still have to remind to do their homework, who they still steal a look at before going to bed -- caged.
The weapon of incarceration that terrorizes Black families has been turned against people from South and Central America who are fleeing unspeakable violence. Racism - the lifeblood of the Trump presidency -- fuels and sustains both systems.
President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions began their campaign against immigrants with the dog whistle of MS-13, in language reminiscent of the racist vitriol directed at Black children, including by President Trump when he called for the execution of the Central Park Five in 1989. Animals, bad hombres. And then, with a pivot and a wink, all people crossing the border were deemed criminals.
There is no more virulent weapon the United States possesses than its incarceration system and no more damning label than criminal. This weapon is being used to carry out a system of ethnic exclusion, to terrify anyone who considers coming to the United States from South and Central America. For if you do, the system warns, know what awaits you.
It is a system that so dehumanizes those carrying out these policies that they mock the cries of children who have had their parents taken from them. It is a system steeped in a cruelty that knows no bounds. It is a system that anyone who has been labelled a criminal or works in the criminal legal system knows all too well. They see the wounds and say -- Yes, I have those too. Here and here and here.
It is a system that rounds up and deports long-term residents, that snatches up parents on their way to work or after dropping their kids at school, that lurks at courthouses, that combs through old citizenship applications, that ends DACA, that strips asylum protections and due process from victims of domestic and gang violence. It is part of the same system that, before Trump, imprisoned families seeking asylum and argued that children could represent themselves in court. It is a system that many of us remained silent in condemning for far too long.
The literal and metaphorical knock on the door is a tool of an autocratic state. Wherever you may be, know the State can take your freedom or your life, steal you away from all you know and love, strip you of your identity as a child or parent or sister or brother. It is a power and a terror far too many live with every day. And it is a terror that did not begin with Trump and Sessions but it is one we must work, in solidarity with all its victims, to ensure ends now.
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
The cages are nothing new to Black parents. Their kids are locked up at a rate as high as 30 times more than white children even though Black and white kids commit most offenses at similar rates.
But their kids aren't called kids. Their kids are super-predators or juveniles or gang bangers or thugs. Their kids are threatening when walking with a bag of skittles or smoking weed or getting into a fight or going to a diner after the prom or driving around with friends or going to a pool party or playing in the park -- things that all kids do but when their kids do it, it's criminal. It's dangerous. It's met with a 911 call, police, handcuffs, bullets, surveillance, or prison cells. Separation.
And so their kids know the horrors of being caged. Know the horrors of being torn from their parents and sisters. And their mothers and fathers know what it's like to have their child -- who they still kiss goodnight, who they still have to remind to do their homework, who they still steal a look at before going to bed -- caged.
The weapon of incarceration that terrorizes Black families has been turned against people from South and Central America who are fleeing unspeakable violence. Racism - the lifeblood of the Trump presidency -- fuels and sustains both systems.
President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions began their campaign against immigrants with the dog whistle of MS-13, in language reminiscent of the racist vitriol directed at Black children, including by President Trump when he called for the execution of the Central Park Five in 1989. Animals, bad hombres. And then, with a pivot and a wink, all people crossing the border were deemed criminals.
There is no more virulent weapon the United States possesses than its incarceration system and no more damning label than criminal. This weapon is being used to carry out a system of ethnic exclusion, to terrify anyone who considers coming to the United States from South and Central America. For if you do, the system warns, know what awaits you.
It is a system that so dehumanizes those carrying out these policies that they mock the cries of children who have had their parents taken from them. It is a system steeped in a cruelty that knows no bounds. It is a system that anyone who has been labelled a criminal or works in the criminal legal system knows all too well. They see the wounds and say -- Yes, I have those too. Here and here and here.
It is a system that rounds up and deports long-term residents, that snatches up parents on their way to work or after dropping their kids at school, that lurks at courthouses, that combs through old citizenship applications, that ends DACA, that strips asylum protections and due process from victims of domestic and gang violence. It is part of the same system that, before Trump, imprisoned families seeking asylum and argued that children could represent themselves in court. It is a system that many of us remained silent in condemning for far too long.
The literal and metaphorical knock on the door is a tool of an autocratic state. Wherever you may be, know the State can take your freedom or your life, steal you away from all you know and love, strip you of your identity as a child or parent or sister or brother. It is a power and a terror far too many live with every day. And it is a terror that did not begin with Trump and Sessions but it is one we must work, in solidarity with all its victims, to ensure ends now.
The cages are nothing new to Black parents. Their kids are locked up at a rate as high as 30 times more than white children even though Black and white kids commit most offenses at similar rates.
But their kids aren't called kids. Their kids are super-predators or juveniles or gang bangers or thugs. Their kids are threatening when walking with a bag of skittles or smoking weed or getting into a fight or going to a diner after the prom or driving around with friends or going to a pool party or playing in the park -- things that all kids do but when their kids do it, it's criminal. It's dangerous. It's met with a 911 call, police, handcuffs, bullets, surveillance, or prison cells. Separation.
And so their kids know the horrors of being caged. Know the horrors of being torn from their parents and sisters. And their mothers and fathers know what it's like to have their child -- who they still kiss goodnight, who they still have to remind to do their homework, who they still steal a look at before going to bed -- caged.
The weapon of incarceration that terrorizes Black families has been turned against people from South and Central America who are fleeing unspeakable violence. Racism - the lifeblood of the Trump presidency -- fuels and sustains both systems.
President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions began their campaign against immigrants with the dog whistle of MS-13, in language reminiscent of the racist vitriol directed at Black children, including by President Trump when he called for the execution of the Central Park Five in 1989. Animals, bad hombres. And then, with a pivot and a wink, all people crossing the border were deemed criminals.
There is no more virulent weapon the United States possesses than its incarceration system and no more damning label than criminal. This weapon is being used to carry out a system of ethnic exclusion, to terrify anyone who considers coming to the United States from South and Central America. For if you do, the system warns, know what awaits you.
It is a system that so dehumanizes those carrying out these policies that they mock the cries of children who have had their parents taken from them. It is a system steeped in a cruelty that knows no bounds. It is a system that anyone who has been labelled a criminal or works in the criminal legal system knows all too well. They see the wounds and say -- Yes, I have those too. Here and here and here.
It is a system that rounds up and deports long-term residents, that snatches up parents on their way to work or after dropping their kids at school, that lurks at courthouses, that combs through old citizenship applications, that ends DACA, that strips asylum protections and due process from victims of domestic and gang violence. It is part of the same system that, before Trump, imprisoned families seeking asylum and argued that children could represent themselves in court. It is a system that many of us remained silent in condemning for far too long.
The literal and metaphorical knock on the door is a tool of an autocratic state. Wherever you may be, know the State can take your freedom or your life, steal you away from all you know and love, strip you of your identity as a child or parent or sister or brother. It is a power and a terror far too many live with every day. And it is a terror that did not begin with Trump and Sessions but it is one we must work, in solidarity with all its victims, to ensure ends now.