|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It’s a question on the minds of many Black Americans. In the 10 weeks that we’ve witnessed
Trump sign a record 109 executive orders, including mass deportation of undocumented
immigrants and a ban on Black History Month celebrations, the possibility of Black citizens
being deported is not that far fetched.
As Latinos quickly found out, Trump’s assertion to deport the so-called “bad” Latinos (i.e.
criminals) was nothing more than a ploy to get votes. Now, decent, hard-working–but
undocumented–Latino families are being torn apart. Husbands are being separated from wives,
and parents are leaving behind their children. In some cases, entire families are being
deported–American born or not.
Trump is considering revoking birthright and naturalized citizenship, guaranteed under the 14th
Amendment, as well. So if you think Black people born in the U.S. are safe, think again.
An outstanding article by Bella BAHHS on TheTribe.com spells out in detail the possibility of
Black citizens being deported. The article is titled “The Revolutionary Column: Trump will
deport Black Americans to overseas prisons, too, if we let him.” This is a must-read for every
Black US citizen.
According to BAHHS, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already visited some Latin
American countries to begin implementing Trump immigration policies. On Feb. 4 Trump
announced his administration is looking for legal ground to deport and send American prisoners
convicted of violent crimes to a “mega prison” in El Salvador. In fact, a deal with El Salvadorian
President Nayib Bukele is in the works. Bukele has offered to house American prisoners in his
country “in exchange for a fee.” That fee is reportedly more than all the money earned by the
country’s goods and services annually.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the annual cost to house criminals in public
prisons is approximately $80.7 billion. Private prisons take in around $3.9 billion a year. “We
spend more to detain prisoners here in the U.S. than El Salvador earns for all their goods and
services,” BAHHS said.
The possibility of never seeing your incarcerated loved ones again is becoming very real.
Today, Trump is considering deporting American born prisoners–many of whom are
disproportionately Black–to overseas prisons. But what happens when Trump breaks his
promise of deporting Black American criminals and goes after law-abiding Black citizens as well,
as we are witnessing within the Latino community?
This Saturday, April 5, anti-Trumpers will protest across the nation. Organizers are calling on
Black organizations to mobilize and join in. I must caution you, however, as many Black leaders
are, to stay home. Do not participate. With Trump removing guardrails that protect freedom of
speech, police have been given free license to attack and arrest protestors as they see fit.
Racist police are chomping at the bit, waiting for us to take to the streets so they can beat, shoot
and arrest us. Don’t give them a reason to hurt you or anyone you love.
Add to that, the need to be extremely cautious of how you move day to day. Obey traffic laws,
stay away from gangs, and don’t hang out on city streets in large crowds.
Continue to fight quietly, nonviolently. Continue to resist with your dollars by boycotting the
companies that hurt Black people by ending policies that promote equality in hiring. Google
“MAGA Supporting Companies” to find a list.
Also, increase your support of black-owned businesses.
As the Trump administration continues to chip away at our rights, Black people must cling to the
rights that still remain. Try as they may, the administration cannot control where we spend our
dollars and who we assemble with. They cannot keep us from sticking together. They cannot
trick us into thinking mass deportation won’t happen to us. We’ve been there, done that. We
have survived the worst of racism before, and we will survive this too. But we must stay
together and stay woke.
