March 24 51 people were arrested and deported during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) raids in Austin in mid-February. One of them, a man named Sergio, was arrested as he and his wife Rosa drove in pre-dawn darkness to his cleaning job. They were pulled over by an unmarked car. Neither had a criminal record. But Sergio had overstayed his visa. Hours after his arrest, the Austin American Statesman reported, Sergio was let go in Nuevo Laredo, a Mexican city over 300 miles from his former home in Torreon. He had no money; only the clothes he was wearing.
Austin is a Sanctuary City. The county sheriff, Sally Hernandez, has resisted pressure from Greg Abbot, the pro-Trump governor, and other powerful Christian fundamentalist politicians in Texas to maintain that status. Recently it came out that the Austin raids were launched by the Federal government as punishment and revenge. A U.S. magistrate revealed in court this week that an ICE agent informed him prior to the arrests that there would be a “big operation” in Austin, and that it would be “a result of the sheriff’s new policy”. In other words, the Trump/Pence regime terrorized and deported immigrants to send a message in Austin and elsewhere that immigrants would pay the price for any disagreement with Trump’s vows to step up deportations, and to crush political opposition to his policies.
Trump’s regime didn’t launch an attack on immigrants in a sanctuary city simply because he’s a vengeful, spiteful monster. The fascist policy of demonization, persecution, and deportation of immigrants is at the core of Trump’s fascist agenda and the hellish future of “making America great” (white and English speaking) his regime is moving to consolidate. Destroying sanctuary jurisdictions – at the beginning of this year there were hundreds – would have a devastating impact on the lives of millions of people. It already is tearing at countless people’s lives and livelihoods. This must not stand. This entire regime must be driven from power.