ICE raids — same song, different beat
OPINION: With immigration raids and protests taking place in Los Angeles county and elsewhere nationally, columnist Shade Burgs connects the dots.
In 1850, the federal government allowed Black people to be kidnapped into slavery under the Fugitive Slave Act, with no due process outside of whatever those kidnapping them said in court. The judges in these courts were incentivized to find in the kidnappers' favor, as they were paid $5 when they found no evidence but $10 when they found in favor of the kidnappers, literally sending tens of thousands of Black men, women and children into slavery with zero due process and zero due diligence.
In the 1980s and 1990s, local police would roll around the hood in a van until they saw a group of young Black or Brown people. They would throw open the side door, jump out and snatch as many people as they could, throw them into the van, and haul them off to jail with no explanation. Once in court, all the cops had to say was, "I saw them selling drugs," even if that never happened. It happened so often they became known as the jump-out boys in the hood. Those arrests were used to justify larger budgets in the so-called War on Drugs, as well as any money found during them was seized and added to local, county and state law enforcement agency budgets.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi just said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can enter some immigrants homes without a warrant, without identification, wearing masks and armed in search of immigrants whom they believe are here illegally. In the new budget that U.S. House Republicans passed, ICE agents may be eligible for bonuses up to $42,000, which provides them with an additional incentive. Any attempt to deny them access will result in felony prosecution from the Federal Department of Justice.
I’d like to remind you that what Bondi says is not the law and is also illegal because it violates your Fourth Amendment rights, which protect you from illegal searches and seizures. The wording here is clear and is as follows: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated." The Fifth Amendment also states clearly, "No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law". I would also point out that the wording here clearly says people/person and not citizen, meaning that if you stand on this soil, these rights are guaranteed to you by the document all other laws are based on in this country. You would be well within your rights to defend yourself, your home, and your property from the incursion, invasion, or intrusion by law enforcement agents who do not identify themselves clearly and present a warrant.
Please understand that doing so will still have you facing the business end of the Justice Department, not to mention a media blitz where you will be painted in the worst light possible with anything they can come up with to justify their actions by whoever will repost, retweet, create content or help facilitate the facade they wish to present.
To help protect against this, we need to become actively engaged in our own communities. Make whatever efforts it takes to get to know someone within three blocks of your house in every direction. It doesn’t have to be in great detail. It doesn’t even have to be very personal. But it can be a very crucial resource in the future.
We need to form community watch organizations, just as other Black communities around the country have. We know where they will start kicking in doors now that they do not have to follow any of the normal rules they barely followed before. The thing that stopped KKK members from snatching people in Black neighborhoods after World War II was not law enforcement but Black veterans who protected people who participated in protest marches, formed neighborhood watch associations and patrolled their communities, armed and ready to deal appropriately with anyone who trespassed. I am of the same mind.
If we wish to prevent the kidnapping of Mohammod and Yari, who invited you to their daughter’s wedding at church; Juanita, who taught your son enough Spanish to get a C grade so he could play ball; and Tito Carlos, who hooked up your brakes for whatever the parts cost, $80 and a case of Modelo Negra that he drank with you as he taught you how to do it yourself —there’s some information you should keep available and memorize if possible.
The Iowa ACLU phone number is (515) 243-3988; call them first. Read their guide. Then, contact the Iowa Office of Civil Rights at (515) 281-4121. I would also suggest reaching out to Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice at (515) 255-9809, as well as any attorney you know that may work in this field in your area.
I would also recommend that you document everything with video on as many devices as possible, even live streaming if you can. That also guarantees someone will see it, or it will be recorded. Keep your distance from law enforcement as they do these things but use your voice to let people know their rights. They have the same rights as any person being arrested: the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney and the right to have an attorney appointed if they cannot afford one. Say it as loudly as possible; if you know someone who speaks their native language, have them translate for you and do the same.
These are challenging times for us all, and we all have to pull together to make things happen.
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Thank you for this excellent article. Sadly, those of my color persuasion (Caucasian) have yet to realize they will be targets down the road. The government will decide that this or that European heritage is not as good as another or you go to the wrong church. More likely, it will all depend on how you voted in the last election. These authoritarian, fascist, bigoted creatures must be stopped. Whites have been complacent for too long.
This is excellent information. Thank you for writing this and your research. I wish I could share it on Facebook somehow.