by Ben Cohen Make no mistake about it, this is straight up fascism and a shocking department from America’s historic tradition of being one of the most immigrant friendly nation’s on earth.
The Trump administration’s first week in office has been so surreally bad that it is becoming impossible to accurately describe just how appalling their actions are. Adding to his list of executive orders and policy proposals designed to roll back civil liberties, wreck the environment and insult foreign nations, the Trump administration is also mandating that Homeland Security ““make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens”.
This was included in Trump’s new executive order on immigration, and according to the Independent, “Will also include details of so-called “sanctuary cities” that refuse to hand over immigrant residents for deportation.” Here is the actual text of the order:
“To better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions, the Secretary shall utilize the Declined Detainer Outcome Report or its equivalent and, on a weekly basis, make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens and any jurisdiction that ignored or otherwise failed to honor any detainers with respect to such aliens.”
We have seen this over and over again throughout history. Fascist dictators rise to power through the scapegoating of immigrants and minorities, then hold onto office by continuing the tactic. The Trump administration clearly believes it is a winning formula and Trump has made so called “illegals” the focal point of his first few days in office. From insisting that he only lost the popular vote due to (completely non-existent) widespread voter fraud to his executive order to build a wall stopping Mexicans from entering the country, Trump is betting big on white fear keeping him in office.
The weekly list of immigrant crime is appalling and will simply fan the flames of xenophobia and hate. It is worth noting that research has consistently shown that immigrant populations have markedly lower incarceration rates than U.S. born citizens, and the notion of the immigrant criminal is a persistent myth with little evidence to support it. But then of course Trump has no time for evidence or facts, and is promising to govern based on his own deeply paranoid and hateful instincts.
America is now in a pre-fascist state, and with every passing day it gets closer to the real thing. This is what many concerned Americans on both sides of the political aisle recognized when Trump announced his candidacy back in 2015, and that existential threat to the fabric of American democracy has now become a reality.
This article originally appeared on the site of the Daily Banter.